(2) The Dragon Boarder: Strangers
by Dustnblood
Summary: Three years after Matt discovered what his family line was really like, he finds himself once again alongside Hiccup. This time, the stakes are even higher than last. During this time, Hiccup and Matt learn just how different each other's worlds are; and how it might be the driving wedge between being the best of friends, or the worst of foes. A rebooting of the Dragon Boarder.
1. Chapter 1

**So, just as a FYI. This is a reboot of the Dragon Boarder series. You see, with the new Dragons show, it rendered all my stories, with the exception of the first one, obsolete and with huge character differences. This story, and potentially others that follow, will be written according to the new Canon in the HTTYD universe. I hope you'll enjoy this story as you have with the others! So please, without further delay, read on.**

 _ **Chapter One: And so it resumes…**_

"Slow down Hiccup! We don't need to pretend the Red Death's behind us!" Astrid shouted out loud, glancing over at a smiling Hiccup. "You excited or something?"

"Is it that obvious?" Hiccup replied, slowing down Toothless.

"Well, since we left Dragon's Edge, we've been flying at a rate that would get us to Berk at Noon!" Astrid laughed, guiding Stormfly closer to Toothless "How much farther is this island?"

"Not much farther! I can't wait to show it to you!" Hiccup said with a wide smile "I think you'll enjoy it."

"Give me a hint at least. Is it like Dragon's Edge? Or…" Astrid began to say, only to be cut off.

"I'll just say that it throws some old memories back." Hiccup replied, looking over at Astrid.

"You're killing me Hiccup!" Astrid shouted out of despair.

Hiccup just shook his head and laughed, returning his focus on what lay ahead.

Astrid couldn't help but smile at her excited friend. He never really went into details about the island, other than he just wanted Astrid to come with him. Leaving everyone else back at Dragon's Edge, she couldn't help but feel excited just because of the mystery. Looking over Hiccup, she saw that he was carrying a basket on his back; which he wouldn't tell her what was in it until they got to the island he discovered. Strapped to one side of Toothless' saddle was a small chest. A smaller chest that could really only hold small to medium sized objects. Where ever this was, Hiccup was planning on doing something there.

"There!" Hiccup shouted, pointing ahead. "See! Told you it wouldn't be that long."

Astrid stared at the island, covered in a white layer of snow and with scattered pine trees. It almost looked like a glacier and less than an island. It wasn't a big island either, it was honestly a little bit of a letdown compared to how Hiccup talked about the island. "Well…it's…white! Like Dragon's Edge and Berk…" Astrid said, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

Laughing, Hiccup shook his head and said "It's what's on the island that's the surprise. Not the island itself!"

"Oh. You made it sound like the island was going to be a paradise!" Astrid shouted, angry that she was misled.

"I never said that. I just said that would throw some memories that we kind of forgot about." Hiccup replied.

Frowning, she guided Stormfly down onto a snowy plain, right under a small, snow-capped mountain. Dismounting Stormfly, she felt the cold wind cut through her shirt. Shivering, she then asked Hiccup "So…what did you want to show me?"

"This way." Hiccup quickly said "There's a cave just around this grove of trees. Hopefully the surprise is in there."

"Wait. What do you mean hopefully?" Astrid asked, following Hiccup "Enough mystery! Just tell me what it is!"

"I can't! It'd ruin everything!" Hiccup said, realizing Astrid's patience was running low "If the surprise isn't there, I'll give you another hint, ok?"

"Fine! Let's just get out of the wind." Astrid huffed, walking past Hiccup.

Rounding around a few trees, she saw the cave. Grabbing her arms to try and keep her warm, she briskly walked into the cave. No longer feeling the wind, Astrid let out a long sigh of relief, letting her body slowly regain some warmth. Turning around, she saw Hiccup with the two dragons walk in. "Alright Hiccup, what's this surprise?" she asked, placing one hand on her hip.

"Uhhh…" Hiccup began to say, looking past Astrid and deeper into the cave "He…he should be here."

"Who? Who's he?" Astrid asked, glaring at Hiccup.

Suddenly a roar sounded from outside, causing both dragons to look at the entrance. Almost immediately after the roar, a Skrill landed at the opening, radiating with lightning.

"Hiccup! Lookout!" Astrid shouted, running and drawing her axe.

"Wait!" Hiccup yelled, grabbing Astrid's arm "Look! Don't you recognize him? Look closely at the back!"

Staring at Hiccup, she slowly looked over at the Skrill, glaring at them. Looking at the back, she saw that black stripes were along the spikes. "No way...is that…how did you find him!" Astrid gasped, staring at the dragon.

"I told you it would throw some memories back!" Hiccup laughed, opening the basket. Pulling out a fish, he tossed it to the Skrill who caught it with his mouth "Good to see you again Wasatch!"

Swallowing the fish, Wasatch then slowly walked up to Hiccup and rested his head against Hiccup's chest. Shocking him lightly, the Skrill then turned to look at Astrid.

Extending her hand out to the Skrill, she also let her axe slowly drop to the ground. Feeling the dragon's head pressed against it, she felt a jolt run through her body. Feeling her muscles weaken, she couldn't help but scratch the massive forehead. Wasatch rubbed his head up and down as she began the scratching, making the most of the kind gesture.

Finally pulling away from Astrid, Wasatch then turned to Toothless and Stormfly, growling at them and flapping his wings. The two responded similarly, seeming to smile while doing so. At that, the dragons bolted out and began to roll in the snow, playing with each other.

"Ah. Good to know that Wasatch is still friendly to other dragons." Hiccup said, laughing at the sight of the dragon playing in the snow. "I bet he was pretty lonely…"

"Definitely." Astrid replied, also staring at the snow flurry as the dragons tackled each other. Turning to Hiccup, she then asked "I remember when he left almost three years ago! How did you find him?"

Taking a seat on a rock, Hiccup motioned Astrid to do the same. Seeing her sit down next to him, he then said "It was when I first found this island. I saw some lightning above this mountain and decided to check it out. When we landed, Wasatch jumped us immediately. He must have known who we were, because he pinned me on the ground and began to lick me. I'm just glad it was Wasatch. Could have been a lot worse if it was a different Skrill."

At that, he then picked up the small chest off the ground and placed it in a small crevice. Making sure it was secure, he then opened it and pulled out a series of straps and an oddly shaped object.

Recognizing them, Astrid then said "Matt's saddle?"

"Yeah. I thought it would be good to leave them here with Wasatch. For nostalgia sake." Hiccup said, looking down at the straps.

Astrid didn't say anything but just looked up from the saddle and stared at Hiccup. Seeing his face, she then asked "Your thinking of him now aren't you?"

"I can't help but think about what he's doing." Hiccup explained, kneeling down and putting the bindings and straps back in the small chest "Since I first saw Wasatch, I can't help but think about him. Like, did his leg heal? Is he still snowboarding?" Looking at Astrid, he then asked "Did he actually get home?"

Astrid just sighed. Standing up, she then walked over to him. Grabbing his arm, she then said "Tell you what. You tell me what you're thinking, and then I want to say something. Something that hasn't really changed."

Hiccup quickly looked up at her, not sure how to take the cryptic message. "How about…you go first." Hiccup said, walking over to a seat where they could sit together.

Sighing, Astrid nodded "Ok…deal." At that, she then took a deep breath. Hiccup wasn't going to be too happy hearing this.

* * *

"Take the $400 transaction from accounts payable and credit it to cash for $376 and interest payable for $34." Matt whispered quietly to himself, circling an answer on the test. Done. After a long semester of studying, homework, eating cheap pasta, and not getting enough sleep, Matt was finally done with school and ready for the winter vacation of a month and a half.

Standing up, he quickly zipped up his grey snowboard coat and made sure his Dragon Alliance snapback hat was on securely. Grabbing his test, he shouldered his backpack as he slid the paper onto his professor's desk.

"Have a great vacation Matt!" Professor Peirce said with a smile.

"Thanks Professor, you too!" Matt whispered, smiling as he did so "See you next semester!" At that he quietly opened the door and walked out of the room. Hearing the door close, Matt then let out a whoop of excitement. "What's up!" he shouted fist pumping the air "A whole semester of accounting is done! Who passed the class? This guy!" Running out the building, he looked up at the sky to see snow falling gently down. "Ah! Snow!" he said, closing his eyes and letting the cold flakes melt on his face. Each flake seemed to chip away the stress he had built up during final's week.

Soaking in the feeling, he then heard a girl laugh at him. Turning around, his face immediately turned red when he saw Darien, smiling at him as she walked up. Wearing a white coat, with a pink beanie hat, her reddish blonde hair was covered in flakes of snow. Having had an English class with her, it was hard for Matt to not like her.

"Let me guess…" Darien began to say, letting Matt walk with her "You're done with school huh? Today's your last day."

Still blushing, Matt then said "Heh, well you nailed it. Accounting 2010 is officially over. Also being my last test for finals."

"How did a hardcore snowboarder like you turn into a paper pusher?" Darien asked, looking at Matt with curiosity.

"How did you know that I was a snowboarder?" Matt asked. Though they talked with each other, they weren't super close.

"Oh please." Darien said, rolling her eyes "You were a legend with snowboarding in Utah! Everyone was waiting for you to announce that you were going professional."

"Everyone!?" Matt asked, staring at Darien.

"Well…all the snowboard clubs in high school and small organizations." Darien explained, starting to walk down some steps that led to the lower portion of the university campus. "I also followed you on a personal level. So what happened? Why didn't you?"

"Why didn't you tell me you knew who I really was?" Matt asked, still soaking in the new information.

Shrugging, Darien then said "I don't know. Just never really thought it was important. At least until now."

Smiling, Matt then in turn shrugged "Well, since you told me the something new, I guess I can tell you something new. You've seen me limp right?"

Nodding, Darien said "I didn't think much of it, but yeah; I've seen you limp."

Smiling, Matt then said "Three years ago, I had a snowboard accident."

"Wait…you mean up at Alpine Heights?" Darien asked.

Surprised again, Matt then asked "How did you-"

"I followed you, remember? I was betting on what day you'd announce you were signing with Red Bull." Darien explained "You can imagine my surprise when you instead announced you were retiring. Was your leg really the reason?"

Still shocked, Matt then nodded his head and explained "Among other things, but it was the main reason. The leg never really healed, and I haven't been able to do the same things I used to do since."

"Didn't therapy work?" she asked, walking towards the dorm rooms. "At least help?"

"Oh it helped." Matt quickly answered, "But the root of the problem is the bone, not the muscle. I crashed so hard that my Femur never really healed. The x-ray shows that I'm missing a piece of the bone; and it almost looks like it was cut rather than broke. Strength wise, I'm fine. It's just when I plant my foot down just right is when it hurts."

"Dang…of course it had to happen to you. You were a rising star!" Darien said, shaking her head "The next Shaun White!"

Laughing, Matt swiped his card key through card slot, opening the door to their dorm building. "I wouldn't say I was a rising star. But it was fun."

"Do you still snowboard?" Darien asked, letting Matt open the door for her.

"For sure! Just not as intense as I did before. Mostly just joy riding instead of tricks and competition events." Matt replied, chuckling. Looking down at Darien, he then asked "What about you? You have to snowboard since you know so much about me."

"Got me." She said with a smile "I love to board. Not as good as you were I'm sure; I just like to ride around. Kind of like you!"

"Heh, does sound like me…" Matt whispered, looking at Darien. Getting an idea, he then asked "Hey, so…would you like to come up to my room? Make some hot chocolate and chat for a little bit?"

Smiling, Darien shook her head, saying "Thanks, but no thanks…I still have a math test to study for tomorrow. Some of us aren't done with school yet!"

Bummed at the rejection, Matt just nodded with a forced smile.

"But…I will take a rain check." Darien said, making Matt's face light up.

"So…next semester?" Matt asked, having a hopeful look on his face.

"Next semester. Who knows, maybe earlier." Darien said with a smile. Lightly hitting him in the chest, she left a piece of paper where he awkwardly grabbed it. Smiling wider, she then turned down a hallway and disappeared from his view.

Smiling, Matt looked down at the paper and saw a number on it. Shaking his head, he then walked to an elevator. Happy that he finally scored a friendship with a girl that he liked, he was then immediately filled with remorse since the semester was ending and he was leaving the next morning.

Lost in his thoughts, he then heard the elevator bing, with the doors opening. Stepping past a few students with grim looks on their faces, probably heading to some tests. Letting the doors close, he then hit the button with a big 4 on it. Feeling the elevator move, he then turned his thoughts to his vacation. Heading home, Matt was going to stop by the Alpine Heights for a tradition he started three years ago. Every year after his encounter with Hiccup and the entire village of Berk, he snowboarded to the cave that led him to his best and most valued memory. All the times he came back, the cave was closed. Smiling at the thought of seeing Berk again, he now just expected it to be a onetime thing.

Hearing the elevator bing again, Matt waited for the doors to open. Stepping off the elevator, he quickly scooted to the side of the hall to let some other kids run onto the elevator. Laughing at his good fortune, he then walked down the hall and towards his dorm room. His roommate left earlier that day, leaving him alone with the small few rooms. Swiping the card again, Matt opened the door and walked in. Already packed up and ready to go, it was only a waiting game to head home. Well, after he dropped by Alpine Heights. Smiling at the thought of going to the ski resort, Matt flipped on the light in his room to reveal something that made his heart stop. His bags were torn open; with everything scattered and thrown around the room.

"Oh no, no, no!" Matt shouted, running to the mess. Scanning the room, he saw that his laptop and small TV were still there. "Ok…why wouldn't they take the two most valuable things I own?" Matt whispered, inspecting the bags. Glancing up, he saw his truck's keys still hanging on the wall. "Didn't take the truck…" Pulling up his duffle bag that had his snowboard gear, he saw that his equipment was still there, but scattered all over and around in the bag. About the zip up the bag, a piece of paper caught his attention. Quickly grabbing it, he saw that it was his sketch of Wasatch, his Skrill. Mainly drawn from memory, the picture still sent him down memory lane.

Staring at the picture, a thought came to him. Looking in the back in the bag, he began to search for a small book. Tearing through his bag, he became more and more desperate. "No…No! It has to be here!" Flipping his bag over, he dumped out the goggles, boots, bindings, and anything else that was in the bag. Confirming that it was empty, Matt took a step back from the duffle. It was gone. His special journal that he kept. It had drawings of Berk, Wasatch, and it talked about the cave.

Pulling out his phone, he quickly dialed a number. Waiting for the other end to pick up, he took a second and looked out his window. With the light snow falling heavier, he could see his reflection staring back at him. With a worried, anxious look; the scruffy, shaggy black haired 19 year old couldn't help but think of the what if's.

"Hey son! How was the test?" A voice sounded on the other end of the line.

"Dad, hold on for a sec." Matt quickly said, kicking over the duffle bag just to make sure he missed the journal "I'm calling about the thing that happened three years ago."

His dad's voice instantly grew somber "Hold on. Let me get in a quite spot."

Matt began to rub his forehead, now starting to get a pit forming in his stomach. He couldn't have lost it. Shouldn't have! How did anyone know what to look for? Where to look for? More importantly why?

"Ok, I'm alone." His dad's voice quietly said "What's going on?"

"Dad…my room got broke into." Matt began to explain "Everything's been torn out of the bags and such."

"What's missing? Your laptop?" His dad asked. "More importantly, are you ok?"

"I'm fine, and no, they didn't take anything. Except my journal. The journal about the cave, about Berk, about the dragons; they took it!"

His dad didn't say anything. This wasn't good. Finally after what felt like an hour, he whispered in the phone "Do you think they know about the cave?"

"I don't know. I never mentioned it to anyone! Except you of course." Matt replied, pacing frantically around his room "But nothing else is missing! Not the TV, not the laptop, not even my can of spare cash! I have like a hundred bucks in it!"

"Are you sure you didn't slip? You think someone might have overheard you?" His dad pressed.

"Dad! It took me 4 months to get the gumption to tell you! I hardly even think about it unless I'm alone!" Matt said angrily, finally stopping his pacing. Leaning against the wall of his room, he slid down to where he was sitting. "I don't know who, how, or why. All I know is that they ransacked my room to find it."

"Well…what do you do now?" his dad asked, sounding discouraged at what was happening.

Sighing, and looking blankly out the window, Matt then said "I guess I better stay at the cave for a few days. See if someone comes or not."

"My thoughts exactly" his dad whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I received some PM's asking when this story takes place. It takes place three years after the first story. It's a revise on the Dragon Boarder Series since some of the characters I used were changed in ways of personality and such. So that's for the clarification. Think of it as the sequel 2.0 to the first Dragon Boarder. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy it!**

 _ **Chapter Two: A trip down memory lane**_

A white Dodge truck was once again driving up the old highway 89, on its way to Alpine Heights ski resort. Usually, Matt enjoyed the drive, letting his mind wander to the past of when he first arrived and where it led him. But now, nostalgia was the last thing on his mind. Worried that the cave was compromised, he couldn't help but rack his mind with the possible people who would even have an idea that he had a journal.

In the middle of his thoughts, he heard his phone begin to buzz. Looking at the screen, he saw the name 'Darrell' on it. Swiping the screen, he answered by saying "Hey dad! What's up?"

"Matt. How far are you from Alpine Heights?" Darrell's voice sounded.

"Almost there. Another 5 – 10 minutes." Matt answered, looking out the driver's side window "What's up? Got something?"

"Probably not what you're thinking of." His dad replied "Family will be here tomorrow. For Christmas, you know that right? I hope you remembered."

"Dad…I'm not going to be leaving the cave until I figure out who took the journal. I've got some camping gear and I'm planning on staying for a few days at least." Matt replied, letting his head rest against the seat.

Darrell's voice sighed, then he said "I know. I just wanted you to know everyone's going to be here. It'll be the first Christmas without your mom."

Matt's heartbeat quickened, causing him to clear his throat. "I know…And I will be there when I can. I just can't leave knowing that I didn't do what I could to stop whoever this person is."

"What are you going to do if you find the person?" His dad asked.

"Ask for the journal. And politely tell them to never come back." Matt answered, accelerating his truck to pass a slower car. "In case that doesn't work, I can get a little physical and kick their knees in."

"Sounds a little vicious." Darrell quickly replied "I mean, for you at least."

"I've been thinking about this since I found my room all torn up. Heh, honestly, I wish I had my gun; make this a lot easier." Matt explained, not batting an eye "Besides, whoever stole my journal crossed a line where I'm going to fight to win, even if it's a dirty fight."

"Do you need me to come?" his dad asked, his voice with worry.

"Nah, you'd be miserable staying in the cave. Besides that, who's going to entertain the rest of the family?" Matt replied, looking in his mirrors to make sure he passed the car safely. "I don't plan on being there longer than three days."

"Unless the cave's open again." His dad replied solemnly.

"Dad, I told you that I don't think it will open again. I think that was a onetime deal!" Matt exasperated, rolling his eyes.

"So why are you so worried about it then?" Darrell asked with a challenging voice.

"Because I don't know for 100%! I need to make sure no one goes through." Matt yelled, getting frustrated with the questions.

"Sorry son, but I have to ask," his dad began to say "say it is open. What will you do?"

Pondering the question, Matt then said "I'll probably go tell Stoick and Hiccup what to look out for. Maybe have them seal the cave on their end."

Darrell didn't say anything. Matt knew that he didn't like the idea of him going back. Still frustrated, Matt then said "Listen. I know you don't like the idea, but if you have a better one, I'm all ears."

"Just be careful son." His dad whispered.

Sighing, Matt rested his head against the seat. After a few seconds of silence, he then said in a softer voice "I will dad. I will."

"Call me if something comes up. Promise me?" his dad asked.

"Promise." Matt whispered back.

"Alright! Be safe. Especially when you're on that death board." His dad added, changing his voice to a more authoritative tone.

"No promises on that!" Matt said, laughing. "Talk to you later dad." At that he hung up the phone. Throwing it onto the passenger seat, he immediately went into a fuming mood. He knew his dad was only thinking about him, but that still didn't help Matt cool down. "And then to bring up mom…" he whispered angrily, staring down the road. Not even a year ago, his mom was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer. Not even a month since the diagnosis, she passed away in their home. Shaking his head, he closed the memory just as fast as he opened it.

Seeing the turn off point to get to the resort, Matt then began to focus on the task at hand. Not needing a hotel this time, Matt pulled off to the side of the road. Since he didn't want to tip off any of the ski patrol or employees of where he was going, he wasn't going to check in. No, he was going to do what he did three years ago; hike up the mountain. Putting his truck in park, he then pulled off his flannel shirt and reached around back to grab an Under Armor turtle neck to put on as a base layer. Fumbling with the shirt, he looked down at his shoulder. There, tattooed on the back of the shoulder, was a five inch, black ink, sketch of a Skrill's face. That was something he was never going to forget, and the tattoo was a sure sign that he wouldn't. Basking in the memory for a moment, he then quickly slid the shirt on, followed with his flannel shirt.

Stepping out of the truck, he felt the cold air rush onto his face. Taking a deep breath of icy air, he let the snowflakes hit his skin for a few seconds. He always loved the cold. Returning his attention to the truck, he pulled out his snowboard coat, goggles, and beanie. Already dressed in his black snowboard pants and wearing his snowboard boots, it didn't take long for him to be bundled up for the hike. Grabbing his backpack, with a small camping pad and sleeping bag strapped on, he then double checked his bag to make sure his survival hatchet and a small, collapsible shovel were clipped on. Satisfied they were secure, he slung it over his back. Clicking in a few buckles, he then reached for his prized possession; his snowboard. Sliding it out, he glanced over the green and white decals plastered over it. This was his world, even if he wasn't sponsored anymore, he still enjoyed it at the same level he did before.

Shutting the doors, he then locked his truck and began the excruciating hike up the snow covered mountain. "Didn't miss this…" Matt groaned as he dragged his feet through the deep snow, wishing he was boarding down to the cave instead.

After an hour of hiking, with multiple rest periods for his leg, a sweating, tired Matt finally reached his destination. There, not even visible, was where his cave was. Not seeing any tracks, Matt assumed that he beat the thief that stole the journal.

Sighing, he waded through the deep snow to where he knew where it was. Grabbing his shovel, he unfolded it and began to dig some of the snow out to create a small hole for him to get in and out of. Finally breaking through, he found himself standing on dry ground. Taking a breather, he then set the board, shovel and backpack down. Digging through one of the small pockets of the bag, he pulled out a flashlight. Flipping it on, he scanned around the cave. Seeing a pile of firewood stacked, he smiled as he began to walk towards it. Last year, he left himself a stack of wood just for a day like today. Shaking his head, then unstrapped the camping pad and small sleeping bag. As soon as he could start a fire, the cave would get as warm as a house in the Mojave Desert without Air Conditioning.

Before he could go any farther, something caught his eye. Facing the back of the cave, he gasped as he saw it lead deeper into a cavern. "No…No way…" He whispered, walking quietly as if he would disturb the awe inspiring event. "It's actually open!"

Realizing what was going on, and with what he planned on doing, he then calmly pulled out his phone from his snowboard coat. Dialing his dad's number, he stepped out of the cave to where he had some reception. Letting it ring, he couldn't believe that the cave opened. Honestly he was speechless.

"Matt…what's going on?" Darrell's voice answered, knowing there was an issue with Matt's call "Something wrong?"

Sighing, Matt turned to the cave and said "You were right. It's open."

His dad didn't say anything, leaving Matt incredibly uncomfortable. Finally, after what felt like ages, he heard "Well, I'd ask you to not go, but that's not going to happen is it?"

"No…" Matt whispered hoarsely "I have to at least tell Hiccup to be on the lookout."

His dad sighed into the speaker. After another long pause, he then said "Son. Merry Christmas. I'll let you stay there as long as you want to."

"Dad!?" Matt asked, shocked at what he was hearing.

"Listen, I know you've wanted to go back for the longest time. So, take the time you want to enjoy it." His dad explained "Have fun. Be careful."

"Dad…" Matt began to say, but stopped. This was exactly what he wanted, and his dad was kind enough to be ok with it. "Thanks. Means the world to me."

"I love you son." His dad replied, sounding like he was having a hard time with it.

"Tell the family that I'm going to a friend's home for Christmas." Matt said, looking down blankly at the snow "I'll get some pictures for you."

"You do that!" his dad quickly said, changing the mood of the phone call "Now get going! Before the cave closes!"

"Love you dad!" Matt said, smiling at the energy his dad was putting out. Then, in a more somber tone, added "Just in case…something happens, thanks for all you did for me."

"Shut up and get going!" his dad said roughly. Then in a softer tone added "Take care son."

"Bye dad." Matt choked out, holding back the tears. Hearing his dad hang up, Matt then slid the phone back into his coat. Walking back in, Matt strapped the shovel to his backpack, then slung it over his shoulder and grabbed his board. Staring into the black cavern, he flipped on the flashlight again and walked forward.

The cave was rockier than he remembered, causing him to walk a lot more carefully as to not land on his leg funny. Pumped on by the fact that he was going to see Berk again, he forced himself to move a lot more quickly than how he would normally. Sliding down one of the larger rocks, he lifted his board up so that it wouldn't get banged up. Doing so caused him to do exactly what he was trying to avoid; land on his bad leg, which forced him to buckle. Sitting on his knees for a second, he looked up to see a faint bluish glow. Smiling, he forced himself up and began to walk to the light. Turning off his own light, he saw it get brighter and brighter. Just like last time he came through, he pulled down his goggles as he stepped out of the cave and into the cold, clear, sunny sky.

Soaking in the view of the ocean all around him, he looked around him and said "Welcome back Matt. Welcome back."

* * *

"Hiccup…remember that Stormfly and I joined the Berk Guard?" Astrid asked, looking out of the cave and at the three dragons playing.

Hiccup only nodded, already not liking where this was heading.

"That…that didn't really change." She continued, looking back at Hiccup. "We're still committed to it. We're still part of the guard."

"But what about all the time you spent with us at Dragon's Edge!? You've been spending all your time with us! Not the guard!" Hiccup argued.

"I didn't say we were part of the guard full time. Just enough to be counted in it. Besides that, I've been acting as a member of the guard while at Dragon's Edge." Astrid explained. Staring at Hiccup, she then added "Hiccup, I'll still be able to go explore islands with you; trust me! I still enjoy that! Especially now that we're out of the archipelago." Looking down at the ground, she then said "You and Toothless were born to explore and to reveal the mysteries around Berk. You two are the best at that and I think it's your calling in life."

Hiccup didn't say anything. Looking up at Toothless, who pinned Wasatch in the snow, he could only nod.

"But Stormfly and I are born fighters! I still think my calling is with the Berk Guard." Astrid finished saying "I still want to explore with you, and I still plan on doing that. I just wanted to let you know that I won't be able to spend as much time with you doing it."

"I understand…" Hiccup whispered, still not looking at Astrid. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he then asked "So…when are you headed back to Berk?"

Relieved that Hiccup broke the silence, she replied "Not until we explore one more island. For memory's sake. After that, I'll have to be a little more active with the Guard at Berk." Putting on a small smile, she then added "I only have to spend a week's time there, then I can come back. two weeks with the guard and two weeks off."

Nodding, Hiccup then said "I guess it could be worse then, huh?" Though he put on a small smile, his mind was wracking ideas up to try and convince her to stay. He wanted to show her that her calling was exploring! She was the best at it! Well, after him she was the best.

"So…what's on your mind? I guess more specifically, what are you thinking about with Matt?" she asked, visibly relaxing now that she finished talking.

Shrugging, Hiccup then said "Just what I told you. Just wondering how he's doing and if he actually made it home."

"I think there's more to it than that." Astrid observed, leaning forward and rested her arms on her knees.

Reluctantly, Hiccup began to nod. "I guess I'm wondering if he will ever come back. I mean, he came here so long ago that it honestly feels like a dream. The only way I know he was here is because of Wasatch." Then turning to Astrid added "And all of you guys. Other than that, he just kind of came and went."

"Saving you while he was here." Astrid quickly pointed out.

Nodding, Hiccup added "And Hookfang as well."

Letting silence fill the cave once again, Astrid then thought of a question. "What if he never comes back? What if he can't?"

Shrugging, Hiccup then said "I don't know. Keep being Wasatch's friend then. Maybe bring him to Dragon's Edge with us. I don't know." Looking out at the dragons, still playing in the snow, he couldn't help but sigh when he thought of Astrid leaving.

"You're still thinking of me with the guard huh?" Astrid observed, realizing that she was the only one carrying the conversation.

"Hard not to." Hiccup replied simply "When the others hear about you leaving, they'll probably do the same. Leave for a few weeks, not come back."

"Hiccup! I'm not dying!" Astrid quickly countered "I'm just doing what I know I'm good at!"

"Doesn't being part of the guard mean helping stop any threat to Berk and its people?" Hiccup asked, knowing full well what the answer was.

"Of course!" Astrid answered, getting frustrated with Hiccup.

"What about us stopping Dagur?" he followed up with "What if we still explore islands in search of Dagur instead of dragons? Finding new dragons would just be an added bonus!"

"I know what you're trying to do Hiccup." Astrid quickly followed up with "Don't think I don't!" Sighing, she then said "I'd have to check with your dad first. You know, since he's the one in charge. But Hiccup, I still plan on helping out at Berk. Not here all the time."

Nodding, Hiccup then stood up to get going. "How about we do a quick resupply at Dragon's Edge. Then we can go look for a new island before you leave."

"Sure, I'll agree to that." Astrid quietly replied "Hey Hiccup. Listen."

Hiccup turned to face Astrid, unsure of what she was going to say.

"I do like exploring with you. It's the very reason why I started coming with you when you found the Dragon's Eye." She began to say, walking with Hiccup out of the cave "I still plan on spending time with you to do that still!"

"But…" Hiccup cut in, knowing there was going to be a catch.

"I need you to support me with what I want to." Astrid answered "It's a two way thing."

Nodding, Hiccup then said "Astrid, I know you're going to be the best in the guard. That can't be debated. I guess my biggest worry is if the guard will want to require more time from you because you will be the best."

"Thanks Hiccup, I appreciate that." Astrid replied, looking down for a little bit "And I'll stand my ground with how I spend my time. Trust me on that."

"Come on. I'll look to see if the Dragon Eye has an island that would be good for us to explore." Hiccup said, walking towards the dragons "Hey guys! Time to go!"

The dragons all stopped playing in the snow to look up at Hiccup. Realizing that they were leaving, Wasatch walked up to Hiccup and glared at him, as if daring him to leave.

"Sorry bud, but we better head out." Hiccup added, raising his hand to scratch Wasatch "Don't worry, we'll be back. Now that we know where you live."

Letting Hiccup scratch him, Wasatch then felt Astrid do the same. Sending a light shock into both of them, he just growled as he stepped aside.

"Thanks Wasatch." Astrid said with a smile. Walking up to Stormfly, she then said "We will be back to see you again. Promise!"

Wasatch just roared as he watched Stormfly take off, with Hiccup and Toothless right behind. Watching them disappear, Wasatch turned and walked into the cave. Sniffing around, he turned to see the chest placed in the small crevice. Sniffing it, he then laid down in front of it. Hiccup wasn't the only one who was missing Matt. In fact, Wasatch was the one who could never let go of the memory when a punk snowboarder rode on his back, saving him from the Outcasts. In turn, the dragon saved his life from an icy grave. A bond such as that couldn't be forgotten.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Two separate adventures**

Hiccup rubbed his sore, dry eyes to try to relieve them from staring at the projection for such a long time. Back at Dragon's Edge, he spent the rest of the evening, and now late night, scanning images of the Dragon Eye; trying to find an island that would help convince Astrid to stay with him and explore.

Seeing the image on the wall begin to fade, he turned to Toothless who was fighting to stay awake. "One more buddy. You can go to sleep after you give me one more flame."

Eyes half closed, Toothless let a small glow emit from his mouth, lighting the Dragon Eye for the umpteenth time that night. Seeing the image brighten, he then turned and lazily walked over to his bed, falling on his stomach out of exhaustion.

"You're always so dramatic." Hiccup said, watching his dragon promptly fall asleep. Turning back to the Dragon Eye, he randomly pressed a button to change the image.

Hearing a click, he saw the light change to a light blue, with a dragon that looked like it fur covering its body. "Interesting…" he whispered, looking at the inscription. The writing always took Hiccup a little longer than Fishlegs, but in the end he could usually work out the meaning.

"A Woolly what?" He whispered in confusion "Ugh…come on Hiccup, focus."

"Hiccup?" Fishlegs' voice called out from behind.

Turning, Hiccup smiled as he saw Fishlegs and Meatlug walk into his room. "Fishlegs! What are you doing up so late?"

"I could ask the same thing of you!" he replied, looking up at the projection "But, in answer to your question, Meatlug couldn't really sleep; so we're walking around and trying to burn some energy for her."

Nodding, Hiccup then asked "Hey, since you're here, can you help me for a little bit?"

Nodding, Fishlegs continued to stare at the image. "Well…that's…interesting."

"What? What does it say?" Hiccup asked, standing up from his chair and walking over to where Fishlegs was standing.

"Well…this dragon is called a Woolly Howl. It's a strike class dragon." Fishlegs began to explain. Running his finger across some text to help him read, he then added "These dragons appear to have wool for skin, but is actually just really dark scales layered over each other. Also, it loves blizzards. So it doesn't live on a single island…it lives on a series of small islands landlocked by ice. The Dragon Eye calls it the Icy Wastes!"

"Perfect…" Hiccup whispered, looking up at the sketch of the dragon "This is perfect!"

"But wait! Get this!" Fishlegs said out loud, getting excited about something. Making sure he had Hiccup's undivided attention, he then added "It says it's a legend, but there is one Woolly Howl that is supposed to be a symbol; a good luck charm."

"Go on." Hiccup urged, staring at Fishlegs.

"Apparently, whenever someone sees this light blue, almost white Woolly Howl, a white winter will always be prevalent."

"Great. That's all we need. More snow." Hiccup grunted, pulling out a paper and a pencil.

Watching Hiccup sketch the island and some basic directions, Fishlegs then asked "So. When do we leave?"

"Uh…I think it's going to be just me and Astrid this time, Fishlegs." Hiccup sheepishly replied, realizing that Fishlegs had no idea why Hiccup was doing what he was doing.

"Again? Why!?" he cried out, confusion written over his face.

"Because I'm trying to find a place to explore. To show Astrid." Hiccup answered, looking at his friend. Taking a deep breath, he decided to tell Fishlegs why. "She's still signing on with the Berk Guard. She's not going to be here all the time."

"Why!? Doesn't she realize how helpful she is here?" Fishlegs cried out, walking up to Hiccup.

"I tried to tell her that. But she still feels like it's her calling in life to be in the guard. I don't know, maybe it is. Maybe she's meant to be a warrior, and fighting those that want to do harm; but I don't think that her calling is back on Berk."

"What if I talk to her?" Fishlegs asked, looking at Hiccup with hopeful eyes "Think I can convince her?"

"Fishlegs, I don't think anyone can convince her." Hiccup replied "She's one of the most stubborn people we know!" Glancing back at the projection, which was beginning to fade away, he then said "That's why I want to make this next trip mean something. Something for her to enjoy, to remember, and what I'm hoping for, to chase after."

"Have her see what she'll be missing." Fishlegs simplified.

"Exactly." Hiccup confirmed, letting the light of the Dragon Eye finally die. "That's what I'm praying for."

Now in the dark, Fishleg's silhouette began to walk towards the opening of Hiccup's room. "Well, I wish you luck Hiccup. I really do." Walking outside, he added "Hey, you might want to close your room's door. It's starting to snow."

"Thanks Fishlegs. I'll probably see you in the morning." Hiccup said, walking over to a lever "I think Astrid and I will leave tomorrow late morning, since we still have to pack."

"Sounds good Hiccup. Goodnight." Fishlegs yawned, walking with Meatlug along one of the many bridges connecting the series of towers and rooms of all the dragon trainers.

Pulling the lever, Hiccup watched the door close, finally cutting off the cool air rushing in. Guided by a single candle by his hammock, Hiccup couldn't help but think about the new island. "It's going to be awesome. It has to be." Hiccup whispered to himself, pulling his one boot off his good leg. Grabbing a blanket, he threw it over him as he then tried to go to sleep. "It has to be memorable. If we want Astrid to stay."

* * *

Astrid could hear Stormfly shuffle next to her. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw daylight shining in her one window of her room she built. Honestly, she would have never put a window in her impenetrable fort of a bedroom if Hiccup hadn't pushed it.

Sliding to the side of her hammock, she quickly pulled her boots on. Looking up to see Stormfly yawning, she couldn't help but smile at her dragon. Then the thought of Hiccup crossed her mind. Frowning, she knew that he would be desperately trying to convince her to not resume duty with the Berk Guard. Shaking her head with the thought, she finally stood up. Pushing open the door, she was surprised to see a nice layer of snow covering everywhere! From the ramps of Dragon's edge, to the small practice arena.

Stormfly sniffed the air, walking out of Astrid's room. Squawking in happiness, she then took off and flew to the arena.

"Stormfly!" Astrid shouted, watching her dragon fly away without her. Shaking her head with a smile, she shut her door and then reached for a zip line that she built to go straight to the arena. Holding on tight, she then pushed off and let herself get carried towards the arena. Speeding up and nearing the end, she let go soon enough to let her skid to a stop. Feeling her feet slide in the snow, she couldn't help but laugh at the fun. Fresh snow was always great, regardless of how many times it might snow after.

"Good morning Astrid!" Hiccup called out, packing a saddle bag onto Toothless' saddle.

'Well, aren't you up early?" Astrid teased, walking towards him.

"Well, just packing for our trip. I found an island last night that we can explore!" Hiccup replied, buckling the bag closed. Looking up at Astrid with a smile, he then added "Should be pretty fun."

"Wow. You didn't waste time." Astrid teased again, walking over to where her saddle bag was. Seeing that it was already packed with food and other supplies, she then asked "So…where is this island?"

"North." Hiccup replied with a smile of his own. Walking up to Astrid, he then added "Might want to pack warm. There's going to be a lot of ice. And hopefully dragons." Pulling out the Dragon Eye from one of his pouches, he then asked Toothless for a low flame. The Dragon Eye lit up once again, revealing the map of the new island. "This is the Icy Wastes, and we'll be looking for a dragon called the Woolly Howl."

* * *

Matt shouted out in joy as he flew down the mountainside on his snowboard. Carving to the left, he let his hand scrape the untouched snow. Laughing as he watched a spray of snow shoot out, he then focused on sliding down towards Berk.

Last time he was riding down this mountain, he was being chased by Toothless and Stormfly. Now he was scanning the sky to see them; hoping they would chase him again. Seeing a small ledge ahead of him, he smiled as he whispered "Eh, one jump won't kill me." Focusing on keeping his speed, he felt his board lift off into the air. Grabbing the center of the board, he then did a quick 180 spin. Landing backwards, Matt then switched stances, spinning his board to where his left foot was forward. "Nailed it!" he shouted, fist bumping the air. On top of that his leg gave him very little grief; minus the switching stances.

Sliding along the snow, he tried to massage the leg as he maneuvered around a few trees. "Worth it." He whispered, frowning at the fact his leg was still hurting at such a simple task. Shaking his head, he found himself on top of a small hill. Stopping, he took in the view and saw the village under him. Forgetting the leg, Matt looked around to see some of the villagers walking around and doing their chores, regardless of how cold it was. Turning to the right, he saw the dragon arena. Or, as Hiccup told him last time he was there, The Dragon Training Academy.

Smiling, Matt ignored the village and began to board towards that. Letting the hill give all the speed he needed, he slid behind all the houses and buildings. A lot has changed since he left. There were water towers, towers for dragons to land on, multiple buildings, and a massive hanger under construction overlooking a cliff. Jumping over a small wall, he then began to board down the path that led to the arena. Seeing the snow untouched on the bridge that led to the arena, he smiled as he continued to board across. Seeing the gates open, he slid down the ramp and promptly stopped. "I'm baaaaack!" he sang, holding his arms open as if presenting himself. Looking around, he was surprised to not see anything. The cages were closed, equipment was scattered around, minus a few throwing axes sticking out of the wall and into some shields.

"Hiccup?" he called out, looking around "Astrid? Fishlegs?" crouching, he looked under the tables that were set up there. "Snotlout? Twins? Anyone?" Looking around, he then quietly asked "Anybody here?"

"I'm here!" A voice sounded behind him.

Promptly spinning around, Matt jumped up his board and spun it around so he could face whoever was behind him. Seeing a younger kid on a Monstrous Nightmare, he then asked "Who are you?"

"I'm going to ask the same thing." The kid said, glaring at Matt "Why are you looking for Hiccup and the others?"

"Not until I know you're someone I can trust." Matt said, pulling down his goggles and glared at the kid "Tell me who you are right now!"

"Uh…I think your forgetting that I'm the one on the dragon. You do see him right?" the kid shot back, challenging Matt.

"Gustav! What's going on? A voice sound from outside of the arena. It was a voice that made Matt's heart skip a little bit. It was Stoick.

"There's someone here! He's looking for Hiccup and Astrid!" the kid yelled, apparently named Gustav.

"Who? Who is it?" Stoick shouted, his voice getting louder.

"You're in trouble now!" the kid said with a grin.

Walking from behind the dragon, Stoick saw the snowboarder smiling at him. "Matt!? Thor's beard is that you?"

"The one and only!" Matt said laughing, unclipping himself from the board. Looking at the massive Viking, he couldn't help but laugh at seeing his friend. At first intimidated by him, he quickly learned to love the rough and gruff Viking.

"I can't believe it! We thought we'd never see you again!" Stoick shouted, running past Gustav and grabbing Matt in a bear hug.

Feeling himself lifted up, Matt exhaled "Yeehuppp…I'm just as surprised as you!" Feeling himself finally let down, he took in a few deep breaths of air.

"You've gotten bigger since I last saw you…" Stoick added, smiling at Matt as he picked up his snowboard.

"I've been working out." He replied with a large smile "Lifting weights and such."

"Uh…Stoick. Who is this?" Gustav asked, looking at Matt curiously.

"Gustav, this is Matt. He's a…" Stoick's voiced trailed off, looking at Matt, wondering what to call him.

"A family friend." Matt finished for him "Just been awhile since I've been able to visit."

"Oh…sorry about earlier." Gustav began so say, stepping off his dragon "Fanghook and I saw you run in here. Never saw you before."

"No problem. I'm used to being chased by a dragon whenever I show up here." Matt replied, shrugging at the event.

"So, what are you doing here? Were you lost again?" Stoick asked, looking at Matt with a little concern.

Sighing, Matt replied "I wish I was just lost, but I'm here because of something that happened back where I'm from."

"What's wrong? Need help or something?" Stoick asked again, guiding Matt to follow him out of the arena.

"No. Well, yes actually; I do need your help, but I'm afraid it's going to be on this end." Matt answered. Looking over at Gustav, who was looking at him curiously, he then added "I'd like to tell only you. Seeing that not many people now about the cave."

"Gustav. Go ahead and leave for the day. Go see if you can't help Bucket and Mulch with the fishing." Stoick ordered, turning to Gustav.

"Again?" Gustav whined, to which he instantly saluted when he saw Stoick scowl at him. "Leaving right now!" he said loudly, climbing on Fanghook.

"Is he a new trainer or something?" Matt asked, watching Gustav fly away.

"Of the sort. Here at Berk he is." Stoick answered, walking away from the arena "I'll have to show you my new dragon. Skull Crusher."

"Sounds pleasant." Matt muttered sarcastically. Looking around, he then added "A lots changed hasn't it."

"Yes, a lot has." Stoick confirmed. Stopping on the bridge he then asked "So, what's this problem you have. More importantly, why here?"

Hesitating for a little bit, Matt took a deep breath and explained "So, I had my house broken into last night."

"A thief?" Stoick asked, listening to Matt intently.

Nodding, Matt expounded "They only stole one thing. Of all the valuables I had, they took my journal."

"A journal?" Stoick repeated, looking at Matt curiously "Doesn't sound very important to me."

"Why didn't you want Alvin to have the Dragon Book?" Matt asked, looking up at Stoick.

"Because it had all the knowledge on how to train drag…ons…" Stoick finished slowly, beginning to nod at Matt's comparison

"That journal had information on the cave." Matt added "Someone from my world knows about here, and I'm not sure how to stop them."

"I'll post a few men there to see if anyone comes through." Stoick confirmed, resuming his walk back to the village.

Following Stoick, Matt added "I've also been giving it a lot of thought, but I think you should blow up the cave when I head through."

Stoick turned to look at Matt, trying to read his face. "But that would mean that-"

"I couldn't come back?" Matt finished "I know. But I wouldn't sleep well knowing that someone could come here anytime the cave's open and potentially hurt you or Hiccup. Anyone for that matter."

Nodding, Stoick then said "Fine. I'll get a few riders after we take you back. We'll wait for a few minutes to let you get back to your world; then we'll close the cave."

"Thanks Stoick. I'm sorry for dragging my world into yours. Again." Matt said, rubbing the back of his head. Suddenly a roar sounded above them, making him spin quickly around. Seeing a green rhino of a dragon land in front of him, he quickly flinched as it roared in his face. "Sweet baby Moses, what is that thing!?" Matt shouted, falling on his back to get away from the angry dragon.

"Skull Crusher! How is my dragon doing?" Stoick said out loud, walking up to the Rumblehorn. Looking at Matt, who was slowly getting back up, he then explained "Sorry about that Matt, Skull Crusher likes to…surprise new guests."

"I'll say." Matt huffed, climbing onto his feet. Not realizing it, he accidently stepped on his bad leg wrong, shooting a sharp pain up his leg and causing him drop onto his knee. "Grrhhh…Forgot about that." He groaned, gripping his leg.

"What happened?" Stoick asked, grabbing Matt by the shoulders and lifting him back up. Skull Crusher also looked at him with interest.

"Oh, it's nothing." Matt explained, letting a smile grow on his face "Just something that happened three years ago. Saved a relative, got captured in his place, accidently trained a dragon, and then took a sword to the leg."

"That's still hurting you!?" Stoick asked in shock, glancing down at Matt's leg.

"Eh, the cut healed fine." Matt expounded, picking up his snowboard that he dropped "But Alvin got the bone. I'm missing some pieces of it and it just hurts when I plant it wrong. Like what happened just barely."

"I had no idea that you're still suffering because of that…" Stoick said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I'm fine Stoick. Really." Matt said, still smiling "But, before I leave, I was hoping to see Hiccup and the others. You know, to say hi. And I guess bye."

Stoick's face fell, making Matt worry at what he was going to say. "Matt…I'd love for you to see Hiccup. But I'm afraid he's gone exploring. Ever since he found something called the Dragon Eye, he's been exploring islands and finding dragons that we never even dreamed that could have existed. He's basically a day's ride away at his new headquarters called Dragon's Edge."

Matt closed his eyes in angst. The one time, and the last time he had to visit Berk again, and Hiccup was gone. Standing there for a second, Matt just shook his head and let out a long sigh. "I guess it was too good to be true." Matt whispered, opening his eyes again to see Stoick "Make sure you tell him I said hi. And to slow down every now and again."

"Don't worry Matt, I will." Stoick said with a smile. Turning he then climbed on his saddle "Come on, I'll give you a ride back to the cave.

Smiling, Matt extended his hand and felt himself lifted off his feet and placed behind Stoick. "Thanks Stoick. For what it was worth, it was good to see you again."

"Likewise Matt. Likewise." Stoick replied, ushering Skull Crusher to take off.

* * *

"Holy crap!" Matt breathed loudly, stumbling off of Skull Crusher "I was thinking it was going to be easy getting used to riding dragons again. I was completely wrong!"

Laughing, Stoick stepped off of Skull Crusher and said "I thought you were going to pass out when Skull Crusher did that roll!"

"It caught me off guard, I'll admit." Matt replied, taking a few deep breaths. Looking at the Rumblehorn, he slowly lifted his hand towards it. Letting Skull Crusher sniff it, he then slowly pressed his horn into Matt's hand.

"Ah, he's taken a liking to you." Stoick said with a smile "Not often he's done that. Hiccup barely got his trust."

"Really!?" Matt asked in disbelief "Guess I'll count myself lucky." Patting Skull Crusher's horn, he then said "I guess I better get going. I'm sorry it's come down to this Stoick, but it's the only way to make sure that my world doesn't leak into yours." Then, putting a smile on, added "Well, any more than what I've already done."

"I understand Matt. I do." Stoick assured, resting one of his giant hands on Matt's shoulder "I too wish there was a different way."

Smiling, Matt just nodded. Double checking his grip on his snowboard, he then turned to face the cave. Walking in it, he then said out loud "Make sure that Hiccup knows I wanted to see him. And to tell him bye for me."

"I will Matt. Just take care." Stoick again assured, watching Matt disappear into the cave.

Grabbing his flashlight, Matt flipped it on. Focusing the beam ahead of him, he froze at what he saw. A solid wall was placed in front of him. Keeping him from going home. Seeing this, his heart skipped a beat out of excitement and worry. A mixed feeling.

"Is it…" Stoick began to say.

"Closed. I can't get home. Not now at least." Matt said, staring at the wall. Reaching out with the flashlight, he pushed on it to see if it would give

"I guess we can't shut down the cave yet." Stoick said out loud, just because they were both thinking it.

"No. No we can't" Matt confirmed. Turning to Stoick, he then asked "Mind if I get a ride to find Hiccup? Looks like I'll be staying here for a while."

"What about those back where you came from?" Stoick asked, looking at Matt.

Shrugging, Matt said "What can I do now? Also, everyone that knows me, knows that I won't be coming back for a bit. So I have time." Pausing for a second, he then asked "Are you ok with me staying?"

"Of course Matt. Of course I am." Stoick answered with a smile "You've earned your place here last time you came."

"Means a lot to me. Thanks." Matt replied with a smile.

"I'll get Gustav to take you to Dragon's Edge." Stoick answered, turning to walk out of the cave.

"So, Dragon's Edge. What's it like?" Matt asked, following Stoick out of the cave.

"I'll let Hiccup show you around when you get there." Stoick answered, climbing on Skull Crusher "It'll be easier that way."

"Sounds like a plan." Matt exclaimed, smiling at the thought of being able to see Hiccup "Now, what are the chances Skull Crusher here will give me a slower, less intense ride?"

"Not good." Stoick laughed, pulling Matt up and placing him behind.

"Great." He muttered, shaking his head "Well, give it to me then!"


	4. Chapter 4

***Disclaimer: For those who are reading this, and haven't seen the new Dragons season, there will be spoilers in this story. Just though you should know.**

 **Chapter four is up and ready to read! Sorry that the story is taking it's sweet time of building up, but that's what makes a story deep and have some sort of meaning. Hope you enjoy it!**

 _ **Chapter Four: On the road. Once again**_

"There it is!" Hiccup shouted, pointing to a large ice field "Wow. The Dragon Eye wasn't kidding about it being a wasteland."

"I can see a few sections of some wooded islands." Astrid pointed out, motioning in a direction "Let's make camp there and then try to find these Woolly Howls."

"Sounds like a plan!" Hiccup shouted back, following Astrid as she guided Stormfly down under a massive ice arch. Though there was a forest of pine trees, the glacier like mountains gave it an eerie feeling.

Gliding above the water, Astrid flew over a small cliff and landed on the ice covered ground. Dismounting from Stormfly, she drew her battle-axe and began to walk towards a grove of trees. Hiccup landed shortly behind her, quickly jumping off of Toothless with his shield strapped to his back.

"I say here's a good spot." Astrid said, walking in the grove "Lots of cover from the wind, trees for some firewood, and not a bad view. Of ice." Looking behind her, she watched Hiccup slip on some ice and slide down the small hill. Laughing at his misery, she walked over and helped pull him back onto his feet.

"Thanks." Hiccup huffed "You'd be surprised at how useless this metal leg is on ice."

"I bet you'll think of something to help stop yourself from sliding." Astrid said empathetically, brushing some snow off of him.

"Maybe later. Right now, let's get a fire started." Hiccup said, looking around "I want to try and find a Woolly Howl today."

"Hiccup, can I ask one question?" Astrid asked, following Hiccup.

"Sure! Go ahead!" Hiccup said with a smile, turning around to face her.

Kicking some of the snow away to clear the ground for the fire, she then asked "Are you here to find a new dragon, or to convince me to not join the guard?"

Hiccup froze for a second, quickly glancing up at Astrid who was glaring at him with a hand on her hip. Forcing a smile, he then cautiously said "Heh, both? Is that a good answer?"

"Hiccup." Astrid huffed, closing her eyes in frustration "I told you I wanted to explore an island with you. That was the truth. But I also asked you to support me in my choice to join the guard!"

"I know! But you're a valuable team member! I had to try!" Hiccup argued, almost pleading with Astrid. Turning to Toothless, he then said "Toothless, plasma blast that tree!" Toothless immediately squared up to the tree that Hiccup was pointing at. Charging up his blast, he fired a small fireball; knocking the tree over. Satisfied with the result, Hiccup returned his attention to Astrid, saying "I just wanted you to see that! We all want you to stay!"

"Stormfly, start cutting it in pieces." Astrid then ordered, watching Stormfly hack at it with her tail. Facing Hiccup again, she then said "I appreciate that Hiccup. I really do. But have you thought about the possibility that I actually want to join the guard? That maybe being part of the guard is what I want to do with my life?"

Hiccup stared at Astrid with grief on his face. Slightly shaking his head, he then whispered "No…I never thought of that. I…I don't know what to say to that. I can't even think of anything to try and convince you to stay."

"Hiccup." Astrid said, realizing he was taking it very hard "I don't know what to tell you." Grabbing him, she then sat him down on the tree that Toothless knocked down. Sitting next to him, she then said "I still want to explore islands with you, that's why I came here. I want to help you do what you dream of."

"And I should return the favor." Hiccup said quietly, staring at the snow. Astrid just looked at him, waiting for him to finish his thought. Nodding lightly, Hiccup then whispered "Astrid, I'll support you when you're in the guard. I promise I won't try to convince you to leave."

"Thank you Hiccup." Astrid whispered back, letting a small smile grow on her face.

"I think I'll join the guard too." Hiccup added, looking up at the two dragons who were dragging a few pieces of the tree into a pile.

"Hiccup, I don't need you to join the guard with me!" Astrid exclaimed in shock "You need to explore! You and Toothless are meant to discover new islands, new villages, and new dragons! I don't want you to join the guard with me, I just want you to let me join without putting more guilt on me."

Hiccup didn't say anything, he just sat there and stared at the ground. Sighing, Astrid then rested her hand on his "Come on Hiccup. I didn't want this trip ruined because of this subject. So instead of dwelling on it, how about we start getting out there and finding us a Woolly Howl."

Looking up at her, Hiccup finally let a real, relaxed smile grow on his face. "Alright, pull my leg. Let's get going then."

Grateful that he was going to make the most of the trip, she then teased him by grabbing his metal leg and pulled it off. Laughing, she then ran away from him.

"Astrid! Really!?" Hiccup yelled, causing both dragons to look at him. Hobbling on one leg, he hopped after her. "It was an expression! Not a literal statement!"

"Whoops! My bad!" Astrid laughed, holding the metal leg out to him. Letting him get close, she quickly jerked it away and took off running; leaving Hiccup trying to turn and attempt to follow her.

"Astrid! Seriously!" he shouted, twisting his body around. Losing his balance, he could only helplessly feel himself fall backwards in the snow. "Whaa! Ooof!" he grunted, landing flat on his back.

Astrid laughed as she walked to the fallen Hiccup. Waving the leg in front of his face, she then asked "Want this back?"

Without saying anything, Hiccup cupped his hand and threw snow on her. Seeing clumps of snow hit her in the face and roll down her shirt, he watched her drop the leg and recoil back as the coldness crept down her body.

"Gah! Hiccup!" Astrid shouted, trying to get the snow out from under her shirt. "Oh you're going to pay for that!"

"The way I see it, we're even." Hiccup laughed, putting his prosthetic leg back on. Picking himself up, he then threw another snowball at her, hitting her square in the back of the head. "Now that's something you can try to get even with."

Laughing, Astrid picked up a snowball and hurled it at Hiccup.

Hiccup's smile quickly disappeared as his face exploded with snow. Recoiling back, Hiccup then shouted at her, picking up another snowball.

The two dragons watched their trainers continue to have a snowball fight, laughing at each other as they pelted each other with snowballs.

* * *

"Hey! Hey Matt, wake up!" Gustav's voice shouted.

Groaning, Matt slowly opened his eyes. Rubbing his head, he slowly sat up. Sitting behind Gustav, he couldn't help but pull down his goggles over his eyes to stop them from watering from the cold air rushing by. "Ugh…where are we?" he moaned, making sure he still had his beanie hat on, while looking around to see where they were.

"Almost to Dragon's Edge." Gustav said, smiling as he thought of it.

"That's good." Matt yawned, stretching his arms. Looking at the dark red dragon, with yellow lined wings, he then asked "So, can I ask why you chose to name this Nightmare, Fanghook? Sounds awfully similar to another dragon I know of."

"Hookfang?" Gustav asked, turning to face Matt "Yeah, Snotlout was the one that gave me the idea to train a Nightmare. I was pretty young, so I thought it was a good name."

Matt chuckled at the reason, looking up from Gustav and to what was ahead.

"So, how do you know Hookfang?" Gustav asked, also returning his attention to what was ahead "I know you know Hiccup, but how do you know Snotlout and his dragon? Even the other riders and their dragons."

Smiling, Matt let himself go back in time to recall the memory. "Well, I got to know Hookfang quite well. All the riders dragons actually. When I came here three years ago, I didn't know how to train a dragon; so the group took turns to introduce their dragons to me. I had…memorable experiences with each of them."

"Which one did you like the most?" Gustav asked, still focused on what was ahead.

"Stormfly." Matt replied simply "She was the one that really gave me a good experience riding dragons."

"Probably because Astrid is a really good trainer!" Gustav said, smiling as he thought of her.

Matt couldn't help but notice the love struck face, to which he quickly exposed "Yeah she is. Too bad she's already taken by Hiccup."

"Yeah, too bad…" Gustav repeated, still in his day dream. Realizing what he said, he quickly turned and looked at Matt with a blushed face.

Laughing, Matt then said "Looks like you have a crush on her!"

"Shut up!" Gustav quickly said defensively "Just because she can fight most anything, be smart at training dragons, and look amazing, doesn't mean I'm in love with her."

"Sounds like you were before we even talked about her." Matt pointed out, still snickering at the 16 year old.

"How good is your swimming?" Gustav asked, glaring at Matt. "I have no problem letting you swim the rest of the way."

"Not as good as I'd like it to be." Matt replied with a smile "I'll drop the topic for the sake of the ride."

"Good." Gustav huffed. Returning his attention ahead of him, he then asked "So is that how you got to know the other dragon riders? Even Hiccup?"

"No. I had an experience with them where I saved Hiccup from Alvin." Matt explained "Got captured myself. When I was freed by Hiccup and the others, Alvin somehow got Hookfang and was flying him after Hiccup, Astrid, and I."

"Serious? Hiccup never told me this story." Gustav exclaimed, looking at Matt with skepticism.

"You can ask any of the riders. They'll attest to it." Matt continued, unfazed by the doubt. He left out him training Wasatch, because he wanted to ask someone who knew about his dragon. He didn't want to get his hopes up.

"So that's how you got to be such good buddies with Hiccup?" Gustav finished asking.

"Pretty much. Saved Hookfang from Alvin and went home after that." Matt said, looking at what lay ahead. Peering through the clouds, he then saw an island begin to form. As they flew closer, he thought he could see towers and structures on it.

"That Matt, is Dragon's Edge. The new headquarters for the dragon academy." Gustav said proudly, letting Fanghook glide low above the water.

"Of course. First place I move out of, I get a two bedroom apartment that I have to share a room with someone. Hiccup moves out and he gets his own town!" Matt muttered sarcastically.

With the island in view, the travel seemed to be a lot faster. Gustav did a quick lap around Dragon's Edge, announcing that he was back. Matt could see Snotlout looking up at them in disgust, with Fishlegs lightly hitting his head against a beam. "They seem to be happy to see you." Matt observed, watching the twins run from them.

"I…I don't exactly have a good record with them." Gustav explained "But that will change! Someday."

Landing Fanghook at the hanger, Gustav quickly dismounted and ran to get the trainers. Matt slowly slid off as well, careful with his back pack and the strapped on snowboard. Making sure he still had his hatchet and collapsible shovel, he then turned to the dragon. "Thanks boy. Was a long ride, but you got me here."

Fanghook just looked at Matt with a goofy grin, causing Matt to laugh. Turning, he then followed the snow tracks that Gustav left. Walking up a ramp, he could hear Gustav arguing with Snotlout.

"No! You are not going to stay here with us!" Snotlout shouted.

"Come on guys! I've been flying all night! I'll get back to Berk at nightfall!" Gustav argued.

"Then why did you come here in the first place?" Fishlegs asked.

"I brought someone! Someone who says you'll recognize." Gustav answered, knowing Matt wanted to surprise them.

At that, Matt rounded the corner, seeing Fishlegs and Snotlout with their backs turned to him. Smiling, he quietly walked behind them, standing in between and waited for them to turn around.

"Oh please Gustav." Snotlout lectured "I would have seen the second person. Why did you come here!?"

"Uh…Snotlout, I think I did see someone behind Gustav when he flew by. They were wearing something different."

"Fishlegs. Not helping." Snotlout hissed, glaring at Fishlegs.

"Good to see you guys never stopped bickering with each other like an old married couple." Matt interrupted, smiling as both Fishlegs and Snotlout turned to stare at him with eyes as big as chicken eggs.

"M…Mm…Matt!?" Fishlegs exclaimed, recoiling back as he recognized the voice and clothes "Is that you!? Is that thee Matt Haddock!?"

Pulling down the goggles to reveal his eyes and face, Matt then said "In the flesh! And this time not as a stranger!"

Snotlout just stared at Matt, unsure of what to say. Finally, after what looked like he was struggling grasping reality, asked "How did you get here!?"

"Well, Gustav is the reason I got here!" Matt laughed, gesturing to the beaming kid.

"Not what I meant," Snotlout quickly said, glancing at Gustav "I meant how did you get back here? To Berk and such!"

"Same way as last time." Matt replied, hinting that he didn't really want to talk about it in front of Gustav.

Picking up on the hint, Fishlegs turned to Gustav and said "Alright, you can stay 'till tomorrow morning. But you're leaving as soon as the sun's up!"

"Awesome!" Gustav shouted, fist pumping the air.

"You'll have to clean one of the stalls at the hanger. Just one for Fanghook." Fishlegs continued "In the meantime, don't touch anything. Stuff has a habit of breaking when you touch it."

Saluting, Gustav ran back up the ramp to get Fanghook. Watching the kid run, Matt then asked "So…is he more destructive than the twins?"

"You have no idea." Snotlout groaned, resting his hand on face as he shook it.

Matt turned to Snotlout with wide eyes, surprised at the comment "Really!? I was just trying to make a joke!"

"We can talk about him later." Fishlegs interrupted "What are you doing here? I mean, I'm personally glad to see you again, but-"

Laughing, Matt interrupted Fishlegs by saying "Don't need to explain, I know what you meant." Looking at both of them, he then explained "I came here because I've been trying to for the past three years. This time the cave was open and I had to pass a message to Stoick."

"What message?" Snotlout cut in "Why not to me?"

"You really haven't changed." Matt laughed, looking at Snotlout. Then, letting a serious expression cover his face, added "I think someone from my world knows about the cave. I came here trying to stop whoever it was, but found the cave open. That's when I tried to find Hiccup to tell him, but ended up telling Stoick about it instead."

"You mean someone else like you could be here?" Fishlegs asked, a worried look was growing on his face.

Shaking his head, Matt then explained "No. Nothing like me. This person is a thief and a coward. I honestly went to the cave to wait them out and see who it was; but, as I said before, found that the cave was open instead. Then you know the rest of the story."

Fishlegs nodded in understanding, and then asked "So, how long are you going to stay this time?"

Laughing, Matt then said "I don't know! The cave sealed back up when I passed through it! I'm here until I can get back. Why do you ask? Ready to get rid of me again?"

"No, no, no, no!" Fishlegs quickly exclaimed "I didn't mean it that way!"

"I know what you meant Fishlegs." Matt chuckled, hitting his big friend in the shoulder "Just teasing you, that's all."

Smiling, Fishlegs just shook his head and said "It's good to see you Matt! Glad you came back!"

"Still puny as ever!" Snotlout cut in, walking up to Matt. Poking at the hatchet that was dangling off of Matt's backpack "Can you fight with this? It looks weak."

"No, it's just a survival hatchet." Matt explained, pulling it out from its sheath. "I never snowboard in the mountains without it anymore. After what happened last time I was here, I figured it's always better to be prepared." Handing it to him, he then added "However, hatchets are balanced better than axes, try throwing it."

Looking at it, Snotlout grabbed it and aimed at a pole sticking up in the center of the arena. Hurling it, its handle smashed into the pole, causing the hatchet to fall to the ground. "Yeah, tons easier to throw." Snotlout huffed, glaring at Matt.

Laughing, Matt walked over and picked up the hatchet. "Guess you just have to get used to it. I'm still practicing with it. I mainly just get lucky with it." Sliding it back into its sheath, he then buttoned it up to keep it in place. Looking up at the two, he then asked "So, where's the others?"

"The twins left as soon as Gustav showed up." Fishlegs answered, looking in the direction they ran off to.

"What about Hiccup and Astrid?" Matt asked, looking over at Snotlout.

Snotlout shrugged, with a blank look on his face. Fishlegs then spoke up again "They left to check a new island. They left this morning actually."

"Oh fantastic." Matt groaned, slapping his forehead. Pulling off his beanie hat out of frustration, he looked up at Fishlegs and asked "Any chance you can take me to where they went?"

"Umm…I think I can actually." Fishlegs said, nodding slightly "I helped Hiccup with knowing what kind of dragons were on the island. So I do have an idea at where the island is. It might be a few hours of a ride though.

"Eh, what's a few more hours? I've been riding all night!" Matt replied with a smile "I think it'd be quite a surprise if I showed up on their own little exploration party."

"Seeing you in general is a surprise! A good one!" Fishlegs exclaimed, also putting on a wide smile "I'll go get Meatlug, I'll be right back!"

Laughing, Matt nodded in agreement. Watching Fishlegs run up the ramp, disappearing from his view, he then turned to Snotlout. "So, how's Hookfang?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask him yourself?" Snotlout asked, putting on a smirk. Motioning to what was behind Matt, he then said "He's coming right now."

Matt quickly whirled around, seeing a red Nightmare fly towards him, putting him in an anxious feeling. Though dragons didn't bug him like when he first saw them, he was still getting used to them since he's been back.

Hookfang then roughly landed in front of Matt, growling at the snowboarder. Staring at the dragon, Matt finally got enough courage to raise his hand up to the Nightmare. "Hey buddy…How's it going? Remember me?"

Hookfang, instantly stopped growling, realizing who it was. Roaring out of happiness, he then pressed his head into Matt's raised hand. Roaring, he then rubbed his head into Matt's chest.

"Alright Hookfang! That's enough!" Snotlout yelled, getting in between Matt and his dragon. Pointing his finger at Hookfang, he then added "I said no more lovey dovey stuff!"

"Eh, he's just thanking me." Matt said with a smirk, looking at Snotlout "You know, since I do believe it was me that saved him from Alvin."

"Yeah, at what cost? Got your leg cut up." Snotlout fired back.

Shrugging, Matt just added "You're welcome."

Realizing what he said, Snotlout quickly apologized, yet in his unique, tough way. "I mean, it was pretty cool how you got Alvin off Hookfang, plus you did train a Skrill! But your leg did get cut; so it wasn't perfect." Looking at Matt in the eye, he then asked "How long did it take to heal?"

"It hasn't." Matt replied simply, once again shrugging his shoulders again.

"Wait what?" Snotlout asked out loud "But don't you still ride that thing strapped to your back?"

"My snowboard?" Matt answered "Yeah, I can still do that. It's not like I can't walk or anything. It's just if I plant my foot down right, or land on it suddenly after a huge jump; that's when it hurts."

"I…I uh, didn't mean to say that. I didn't know that your leg was still…injured." Snotlout whispered hoarsely, embarrassed that he brought up the subject.

"No problem. I've learned to live with it." Matt said laughing, walking up to Snotlout. Throwing his arm over Snotlout's shoulder, he then teased "But I won't turn down anything that you offer me. You know, to help sweeten the deal of forgiving you."

"Heh, maybe this will do then." Snotlout said with a smile, pulling out a water bottle sized container. "This is called Nightmare gel. It's basically an explosive liquid! You might find some fun with it!"

"Serious?" Matt asked, looking at the gel "You sure you want to give that to me? I mean, I was just messing with you."

"Go on. I can always get more from Hookfang!" Snotlout said with his usual confident grin.

Smiling, Matt took the container and slid it into a water bottle holder on his backpack. "I hope you do realize I was kidding about you owing me something for an apology."

"Think of it as me thanking you for helping Hookfang." Snotlout said with folding his arms and puffing out his chest "Besides, you might need it when you find Hiccup and Astrid. Best way to start a fire."

"Never mind that they both have dragons that…well, breathe fire." Matt threw in, pulling on his beanie hat.

Before Snotlout could come up with a wisecrack response, Meatlug floated down in between the two with Fishlegs on her. "Ready Matt? It'll be a little slower since Meatlug doesn't really fly with doubles."

"Will I fit?" Matt asked, looking a little concerned.

"Yup! Just sit on her back! She'll be nice and gentle the entire ride!" Fishlegs responded with a wide smile "She's carried both twins actually."

"I can come. It'd be more comfortable on Hookfang." Snotlout suggested "And faster."

"No, you get to babysit Gustav." Fishlegs teased, turning towards him with a wicked smile.

"Uh…nope, I think I'm going to come with you." Snotlout retorted defiantly, glaring back at Fishlegs.

"Let's see…You come with us and leave Dragon's Edge in Gustav's care, or stay and make sure nothing burns down. Your choice Snotlout." Fishlegs shot back, knowing he trumped the conversation.

Snotlout's face flared red with anger, knowing Fishlegs was speaking the truth.

"Come on Matt. I bet we can get there right at dusk." Fishlegs said, smiling at his victory over Snotlout.

Matt quickly climbed up Meatlug, sitting himself on her back. Making sure his gear was in the clear, he put his goggles over his eyes and yelled "Let's get going then, it's not going to get any warmer!"


	5. Chapter 5

_**Here you go! Chapter 5! Hope you enjoy it!**_

 **Chapter Five: It all happened in the storm**

"Are you sure the Dragon Eye said there were supposed to be dragons here?" Astrid asked out loud, scanning the icy landscape.

"That's what it said." Hiccup replied, also scanning the white ground "It said that they love the snow; well, at least when it's basically a blizzard."

"I think with the wind, they'd love this weather." Astrid replied, shivering as a cold gust of wind kicked up "Come on Hiccup, it's almost night, let's head back to camp and get a game plan. We'll be here for a few more days at least."

Nodding, Hiccup agreed with saying "Let's check out that small gully first, that way we can fly through it to stay out of the wind while we head back."

Astrid just nodded, guiding Stormfly to follow closely to Hiccup. After a long day of riding on their dragons, checking out caves, and even wandering through a barren ice field; nothing was found, not even evidence that dragons lived there. Suddenly, pulling her away from her thoughts, a huge gust of wind hit the two dragons, causing them to alter their course.

"Down Astrid! We have to wait out the wind storm!" Hiccup shouted, putting Toothless into a dive into the ice crevice. Not arguing, she quickly did the same, feeling the instant relief that the crevice provided from the wind.

Landing next to Hiccup, Astrid slowly dismounted off of Stormfly, still recovering to the sudden blast of coldness. "Well at least the dragon eye was right about the Icy Wastes!"

"Yeah, at least that's something we found…" Hiccup said, looking around the massive ice crevice they were in. Surrounded basically by just walls of ice, he then said "I don't get it. The Dragon Eye has always been right. Why can't we find a Woolly Howl?"

"Maybe they're nocturnal. Maybe they moved to another island." Astrid suggested, folding her arms to keep her warm "Who knows? I mean it could have been hundreds of years since the Dragon Eye was made, so some of its information might be too old."

"Maybe…" Hiccup whispered, still looking around. Letting out a long sigh, he then turned and faced Astrid, saying "Well, how about we start walking. Give our dragons a small break and we can at least cover some ground to get back to camp."

"Sounds better than staying here to freeze." Astrid replied, shivering as she talked. Stormfly then extended a wing out and over Astrid, as if covering her. "Thanks girl." She whispered, smiling at her dragon.

Toothless did the same for Hiccup as he began to hike through the crevice. Looking back at Astrid, he then asked "Still glad you came?"

"Of course! What's a little chilling wind huh? I'm going to be facing worse things in the future." Astrid jested, hoping that laughter would help warm her up.

Smiling, Hiccup just shook his head "I guess we could be attacked by the Snow Wraith; that was fun wasn't it?"

"Don't joke about that!" Astrid yelled, letting anger exist in her voice "I still haven't forgiven Snotlout for burying us in the snow."

"It all worked out in the end!" Hiccup replied with a wide smile.

"Uh…sure I guess it did." Astrid replied sarcastically "We almost died trying to fight the Snow Wraith, then again with the incident with Snotlout; however, we did get the tooth from that stupid dragon for the Dragon Eye, which led us on how many adventures? Not to mention this one where we're freezing and walking in a frozen wasteland. Yeah, I definitely agree that it all 'worked out' in the end."

"You said you were enjoying the trip." Hiccup pointed out, teasing her about her discomfort "Besides, think of it as training for you in the guard. You'll be so much tougher!"

"Ugh, shut up Hiccup." Astrid growled, trying to hide a smile growing on her face "Just because of this little adventure, I'm thinking I'm going to start wearing a hood. A fur hood at that. Maybe some fur gauntlets too."

Laughing, Hiccup was suddenly cut off when they hear a muffled roar ahead of them. Toothless was the first to react, sticking up his head and pointing his ears straight up, listening again. Stormfly too was listening, cocking her head in an investigative manner."

"You think that-" Astrid began to say, only to be interrupted by Hiccup.

"A Woolly Howl? Yeah I do." He replied, looking forward. Ignoring the cold, he then sprinted ahead, letting the two dragons and Astrid run after him.

Running around a fallen ice boulder, Hiccup stared in shock as he saw a furry looking dragon struggling in a net. "What the…" he whispered, staring at the dragon in confusion.

The Woolly Howl looked up to see Hiccup. Growling, ice began to fall out of its' mouth, as if threating him. Its mouth had a purple glow to it, and the size of the dragon was just a little smaller than Toothless. The scales of the dragon were layered in a way that it did look like it had fur.

Astrid and the two dragons finally caught up to Hiccup, breathing heavy from the sudden surge of exercise. Staring at the trapped dragon, now raging when it saw Toothless and Stormfly, she then asked "What's a net doing here?"

"I don't know…but I think it explains a little bit about why we haven't been seeing any others around here!" Hiccup replied, unsure of how to get the net off.

"I can try to distract it." Astrid suggested, walking up next to Hiccup "After it's focused on me, the dragons can help me pin it. Then we can work together to get the net off."

Nodding, Hiccup then said "If you're ok with that, let's do it. Just be careful."

"I will be Hiccup, but can I borrow your shield? Just to be safe?" Astrid asked, looking at Hiccup's shield strapped to his back.

"Of course! Take it!" Hiccup said, quickly taking it off and handing it to her "Press this button to launch the bolas. Just in case you need to stop it from attacking you."

"Thanks Hiccup." Astrid said, taking a deep breath. Looking at the Woolly Howl, she then began to walk towards it. "Easy…Easy, just here to help."

Stormfly pranced around, wanting to follow her trainer and friend. Hiccup quickly held her back, knowing that they needed to wait until the Woolly Howl wasn't focused on them at all.

Astrid silently walked around the downed dragon, making sure to draw its attention away from Toothless and Stormfly. Getting around the dragon, she suddenly felt something tighten around her legs. "Yagh! What the!?" She shouted as she dropped the shield and felt herself being pulled backwards, getting dragged in the snow.

"Astrid!" Hiccup shouted, helplessly watching her get dragged away.

Not knowing what was going on, Astrid felt herself hoisted into the air and dangling upside down. Finally regaining her sense of direction, she looked up to see her feet tied together by a single noose. "Ah great!" She shouted, letting her head relax "Another one of those stupid dragon traps!"

"Hold on! I'll get you down!" Hiccup shouted, letting Stormfly fly to her trainer. Jumping on Toothless he quickly followed the anxious Deadly Nadder and landed next to her. Jumping off Toothless, he was quickly pushed aside by Stormfly, who was attempting to bite the rope that held Astrid. Stumbling a few feet at the push, Hiccup felt something snap under his feet. Almost instantly, the snow exploded and a net swallowed both him and Toothless up. Hanging from the side of the crevice wall, he was pinned under the weight of his dragon. "Oh fantastic! Another one!?" he groaned, trying to get out from under Toothless.

Toothless began to fight against the net, twisting his body and trying to bite the ropes.

"Toothless! Stop! You're crushing me!" Hiccup wheezed, feeling the weight of the dragon push against him.

"Great rescue mission." Astrid muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes when she saw Hiccup struggle to reach for his dagger.

"Hey! It was Stormfly's fault!" Hiccup countered, glaring at Astrid "She pushed me into it! Also, weren't you the first one to step into one of these traps?"

Rolling her eyes again, she then ordered her dragon "Stormfly! Tail spike!" Stormfly did so, flinging a hail of spikes at the rope holding Astrid up. Feeling the rope get cut, she instantly plummeted into a snowbank. Struggling to get her head above the snow, she finally broke above the surface, fighting the coldness of the snow.

"So, just cooling off?" Hiccup asked with a smirk on his face, watching Astrid brush some of the snow off.

"Shut up Hiccup." Astrid huffed, now focusing on the noose around her feet. Pulling it loose, she quickly stood up and brushed the remaining snow off of her. Looking back up at Hiccup, she then teased him with her own joke "Hiccup, for once, can you just wait to hang around when something like this happens?"

"Oh, real funny Astrid." Hiccup retorted, glaring at her "If you're done making wisecracks, why don't you cut me and Toothless down."

Laughing at her own joke, she then drew a knife attached to her belt. Reaching up to cut the rope, she heard something that made her blood freeze. It was a screech, from Stormfly. Whirling around, she was shocked to see that another net landed on her dragon. Looking up, she saw a metal tail knock her clear back against the icy wall. Slamming into the wall, and falling a few feet; she felt the wind get knocked out of her. Feeling herself want to black out from the hit and the lack of air, she struggled to make out what was going on. Looking up, she made out a metal-like dragon with green eyes land in front of her, with a hooded figure that jumped off of it. "Wha…What's going on?" She gasped, trying to focus on the blurry person walking to her.

"Sorry Astrid. But I have no choice." The person whispered, raising something above her head.

"Astrid! No!" she heard Hiccup yell in a panic. That was all she remembered before she was overcome by a black world.

* * *

"So, no one knows where Wasatch is?" Matt asked, looking over Fishleg's shoulder.

"Sorry Matt, but after you went home, Wasatch had no reason to stay. He left a few weeks after you left." Fishlegs replied, turning to look at Matt with an apologetic look.

Nodding, Matt sat back onto his little seat. Not saying anything, only the low drone of Meatlug's wings could be heard.

Feeling awkward about how the subject ended, Fishlegs then added "Hey, listen Matt. I bet we can all help you find Wasatch. I mean, the Dragon Eye might have some information on where Skrills could live!"

"The Dragon Eye?" Matt asked, looking back at Fishlegs "That's the second time I heard of that thing. What's it supposed to be?"

"Some kind of artifact or something." Fishlegs explained, returning his focus to what was ahead of him "It has a ton of information on dragons, and the only way to see what it has to offer is to have a dragon fire light it up."

"Sounds interesting." Matt replied, his eye brows perking up as he listened "You really think it could help us?"

"Well, I don't know. It might be able to." Fishlegs answered, not want to raise Matt's hope up. Then smiling, he then added "You'll just have to ask Hiccup when you see him."

"Ugh, don't remind me!" Matt groaned, shaking his head at the comment "That's all I've been trying to do since I've got here. Hiccup's just been one step ahead of me; who knows, he might be heading to the North Pole as we speak!"

"North Pole?" Fishlegs asked, looking back at Matt quizzically.

Laughing, Matt quickly explained "The farthest north you can go."

"If it involves somewhere to explore, you can bet Hiccup will find it." Fishlegs laughed, agreeing with Matt's guess.

"So…how much has changed since I was here last? What crazy adventures have you guys gone on?" Matt asked.

"Well, you know about the Dragon Eye, that's changed everything we ever thought about the world." Fishlegs began to say "That's honestly what we've been up to of late. After the war with the Berserker's three years ago, we kind of became boring. Well, except for Hiccup."

"Man, there's so many questions in my head right now." Matt groaned, rubbing his head to attempt to alleviate some stress. "Berserkers? Who were they?"

"I'll let Hiccup explain that to you." Fishlegs replied with a smile "Seeing that everything that I say is hurting you."

"I appreciate that." Matt huffed, secretly loathing the pity card Fishlegs played.

"Hey! I think that's the island we're looking for! The Icy Wastes!" Fishlegs said out loud, pointing at a silhouetted island.

"Just in time." Matt quickly said "I'm getting super tired of just riding on a dragon all day."

Meatlug grunted, eyeing Matt angrily.

"Nothing personal girl" Matt quickly said "I've just been on a dragon for at least 24 hours. I need to stand up to relax! I wonder if there's such a thing as time lag."

"Don't worry, we'll be ther-" Fishlegs was cut off as a huge gust of wind came out of nowhere. "Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Fishlegs shouted with wide eyes, holding on tightly to his saddle as Meatlug was pushed around by the wind.

Matt hugged Meatlug tightly, trying to not be thrown by the sudden rodeo in the air. "Fishlegs! Get her down lower! If I'm going to fall off, I don't want to be as high as I was when I jumped off Wasatch last time I was here!"

"Come on girl! You can do it!" Fishlegs shouted, focusing on lowering his dragon and guiding her to the island.

Matt's goggles allowed him to see what was going on, though he wished he couldn't. Meatlug was struggling to fly in a straight line with all crosswinds and sudden head-on gusts. Finally, after what felt like a whole other journey, she buzzed over the island, about 10 feet from the ground.

"Matt, I can barely see anything!" Fishlegs shouted, trying to shield his eyes from the snow flying all around them.

"Don't worry, I gotcha!" Matt shouted, peering over Fishleg's shoulder. Seeing a canyon that looked protected, he quickly pointed at it. "There! An ice canyon! Eh, more like a crevice. We can wait out the storm there!"

"Don't need to tell me twice." Fishlegs huffed, guiding Meatlug in the direction Matt was pointing. Flying in between the walls of ice, relief was instantly felt as the wind howled at the mouth of the canyon.

"Wooooh!" Fishlegs shouted, turning back to look at the storm "That was unexpected!" Letting Meatlug land, he then dismounted and jumped in the snow, saying "Never thought I'd be so happy to get off of a dragon!"

Matt slid off the back of Meatlug, stretching his legs during the process. "Hear, hear." He moaned, feeling relief flood his legs. Walking around to get them moving again, he then said "I hope Hiccup and Astrid got out of the storm. This is pretty bad."

"At least the name's suiting" Fishlegs said optimistically "Icy Wastes seem to be a pretty accurate."

Nodding, Matt then began to walk deeper into the canyon, checking out the ice walls that made up their temporary shelter. Rounding around an ice boulder that seemed to have fallen out of the wall, he saw something that didn't look right. All around him, the snow was about up to his shins; however, up ahead it looked like the snow was matted down, as if something was nesting there.

"What's over here?" Fishlegs asked, finally catching up to Matt.

"Don't know yet…" Matt said softly, walking over to the spot. Kneeling down, he saw the snow was all torn up, as if something was lifted up and out of the snow.

"Oh no…" Fishlegs whispered, staring at the patch of torn up snow.

"What? What'd you find?" Matt asked, walking up to Fishlegs.

Fishlegs then knelt down and pulled something up. It was a metal shield, with a Night Fury painted on it. Looking up at Matt, he then said "This is Hiccup's! This is his shield!"

Matt's blood froze, and not to the coldness. Looking down deeper into the canyon, he quickly jogged in that direction. Looking down, he saw a trail in the snow, as if something was dragged for a short distance. Following the trail, he then looked up to see a rope dangling above him.

"This isn't good." Fishlegs said quietly, looking up at the rope Matt found.

Kneeling down, Matt found a noose of a rope halfway buried in the snow. Pulling it out, he saw the end of the rope was frayed. "Whoever this held, it was cut." He whispered, looking around the canyon.

"Matt!" Fishlegs shouted, walking over to one side of the canyon.

Jogging over to Fishlegs, he saw exactly what Fishlegs found. In the snow, were two trails. Both looking as if something was dragged in the snow. Small drops of blood were also seen in the trails, causing Fishlegs to panic a little. "Omigods! Omigods! Hiccup and Astrid could be hurt! Toothless and Stormfly also! What'd we do!? What'd we do!?"

"Fishlegs!" Matt shouted, lightly hitting him in the shoulder "The last thing they need us to do is panic!" Looking at the trail, he then said "If they are hurt, or anything else, I'm willing to bet they're where this trail leads."

"So we follow it?" Fishlegs asked tensely, looking at Matt with worry.

"No. I'll follow it." Matt replied, looking back at Fishlegs "You head back to Dragon's Edge and get the other riders. If Toothless or Stormfly are hurt; or both, we'll need a way to get them off this island."

"But what about the storm?" Fishlegs asked "I'm not just talking about me, what about you? Walking in it will be suicide."

"We don't have a choice!" Matt said angrily "If they're hurt, then time's against us!"

Realizing the truth in Matt's statement, Fishlegs just nodded in understanding "Alright, I understand. Just be careful Matt! There's a reason why they might have gotten in trouble."

"Thanks Fishlegs." Matt replied, patting him on the shoulder "Wait out the storm and then go get the others. I'll do what I can when I find them. I have a small first aid kit in my pack." Facing the storm that raged outside of the canyon, he took a few deep breaths, buttoned up his hood to stop the snow from flying down his coat, and pushed forward. Stepping out into the open, he felt the wind push him to the side. Correcting himself, he then leaned into the wind as he kept on going. "Get going Fishlegs! The sooner the better!"

"Be careful Matt!" Fishlegs shouted back, trying to raise his voice over the wind.

The snow drifts were starting to get higher, now up to his knees. Trudging along, he was grateful he was wearing all his snowboard gear; though the snowboard strapped to his backpack was kind of a nuisance, by getting dragged in the snow. Looking through his goggles, he could still follow the trail, even as some snow was beginning to fill up the trail.

"You know Hiccup…" He whispered to himself "if you're not hurt already, I might be the one doing something to ya'." He grunted as he dragged his legs through the snow "Quiet a freakin' quest to just say hi."

Shaking his head at the thought, he then saw the trail take a sharp left. Following the unusual pattern, he saw that it went down a small trail down a cliff face. Peering down the trail, he thought he saw something that made out the shape of a ship. Cautiously, he walked to the edge of the cliff and peered down at the shape. "I guess it could be something…" Matt whispered, still trying to make out the shape in the snow blind area. It also didn't help that it was getting darker as the night moved on.

Suddenly, something moved next to the object he was looking at. The same size as the object he was trying to identify, he was able to catch a glimpse of a sail that was being rolled up. "That's a ship. So the other thing must be one as well." He whispered to himself, feeling his heart skip a beat. This was no accident. Whatever happened to Hiccup and Astrid, he was willing to put money on that these people were the reason for it.

Not sure of what to do, he slowly felt the wind die down, easing up on the snow that was being flung around. Now with a clearer view, Matt saw exactly what was under him. A small bay, sheltered from any of the winds that were raging around, was right under him; surrounded by multiple cliffs like the one he was on. Hanging over the entrance of the bay was an ice arch, towering over the bay. In the bay itself, two ships were moored next to each other; one carrying several cages with dragons in them. Gasping, he saw two cages that caught his attention right off the get go. In the center of the ship, guarded by multiple men, were Toothless and Stormfly. Not only caged, but also tied down. The other dragons on the ship looked like they were furry, rather than scaled.

Looking at the second ship, the one that barely pulled into the bay, he gasped as he saw Hiccup marched onto the ship. Behind him was a man carrying Astrid over his shoulder. A single cage was on the bow of the ship, getting opened up by a hooded person. Matt's eyes furrowed as he saw a dragon perch on the side of the ship, next to the person holding the gate open. It was silver, almost metal like. The person looked as if she was ordering Hiccup into the cage.

Watching Hiccup walk into the cage, and seeing tossed in, the person then slam it shut. Matt flared up with anger as he saw the person make sure the door was closed. He came all this way, through time itself, 24 hours on the back of two dragons, walked through a snow storm, just to watch Hiccup get captured.

He could make out the hooded person ordering Hiccup again, not able to hear the details though. He watched as Hiccup knelt down and pulled Astrid to the side of the cage, to which he slowly moved back to the opposite side and sat down. Two men then grabbed both Hiccup's and Astrid's arms, tying them above their heads and to the cage.

Matt watched as Hiccup turned to face the hooded figure, obviously angry at what was happening. Watching them, he then noticed that the men on the ship were all starting to pull in the gangways, getting ready to shove off.

"No!" he whispered, frantically trying to think of something to do to stop them. Getting their attention and trying to board away would be stupid. Since their obvious leader had a dragon, the ships would still leave. He needed to stop those ships from leaving. Looking around, he saw the arch that was over the bay. Smiling, he then stood up and ran to it, pulling out his shovel in the process. "Hold on Hiccup, I might have an idea."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Here you go! Hope you enjoy this chapter! Really gets the story cooking and is going to leave you guessing!**_

 **Chapter Six: Three-way reunion**

"You really did it then huh?" Hiccup growled, glaring at the hooded person "You sided with your brother."

"You don't know how hard it was to make that decision Hiccup!" The person shouted back, also glaring at him.

"You know Heather, I actually do know what it's like." Hiccup growled again, fighting the ropes that held his arms above his head "I betrayed my dad, my entire tribe actually, when I found Toothless. Trust me when I say I've made some pretty tough choices."

"Shut up!" She screamed, throwing off her hood and drawing her double bladed axe. Her black hair blew in the soft wind, still having it hang over her left side of her face, covering her eye. Her bluish white armor seemed to match the snowy environment, making her seem like she was from the island.

"Heather, what's going on?" Hiccup asked softly, looking at her with concern "You've never acted like that before."

"Listen to me when I say this." Heather breathed angrily, pointing her axe at Hiccup "I'm with Dagur now. He's my brother. My leader."

"He's insane!" Hiccup cut in, who stopped when Heather hit the cage with the axe. Waiting to see if she was going to say anything, he looked up at her and whispered "Heather, we still care about you! I know you felt alone before, but you can come with us! Back to Dragon's Edge, Berk even! You don't have to be alone, you never needed to fee-"

"Brother!" Dagur's voice interrupted, causing both Hiccup and Heather to turn to see the crazy faced Viking. "I'm so glad you decided to come by to see me! Been awhile hasn't it?"

"I am not your brother…" Hiccup whispered back, glaring at Dagur. Then he added "And it hasn't been long enough."

"Eh, that may be true, but at least I do have a sister!" Dagur laughed, wrapping one of his arms around Heather. Looking at her, who promptly turned her head away, he then added "Good job in capturing them sis!"

Looking back at Hiccup, she then answered with "It was easy. They never saw me."

"Hah!" Dagur laughed, kneeling down at the same level as Hiccup's face "Guess even a Dragon Master can be trumped."

"Pretty easy to do that when you're blindsided by someone you trusted." Hiccup shot back, glaring up at Heather.

Disgusted with Hiccup's comments, she quickly turned and walked away, heading towards her dragon named Windshear. Windshear was a Razorwhip, a new dragon that Heather found injured. Having helped heal it, and using some of the techniques she learned from Hiccup and the other trainers, she quickly made a lasting bond with her dragon.

"Oh don't mind her too much Hiccup." Dagur said sympathetically, watching her pet Windshear "She's still adjusting to a Berserker's way of life!"

"You're corrupting her!" Hiccup spat, staring at Dagur with hate in his eyes "You're the one changing her!"

"I am. I will completely take credit for that." Dagur laughed, smiling wickedly at the tied up Hiccup "Or at least I would like to, but it was actually because of you! You Hiccup, were the one that told her that I was her brother." Letting the comment sink in, he then added "So you're the one to blame. Or, in this case, thank." Reaching forward, he then searched Hiccup's pouch, pulling out the Dragon Eye. "I'll take that." He whispered evilly, watching Hiccup squirm in anger. Looking up at Astrid, who was starting to stir, he then walked away laughing.

Hiccup could only watch in anger, wishing that there was something that he could do. Turning to Astrid, who was still trying to recover from being hit over the head, he whispered "What did I do? Why did I tell her that she was Dagur's sister?" Looking over to the other ship, he then thought of Toothless. What was happening to him?"

"Errggghhhhhh…" Astrid groaned, slightly lifting her limp head.

"Astrid?" Hiccup called out, wishing he could help her "Easy Astrid. Don't rush it."

Slowly, and painfully, she fluttered her eyes open. Not being able to understand what was being said, she lifted her head up, revealing a small trickle of blood from where she was hit. Feeling her head bump against the cage, she tried to move her hands to help her. "Wha…What's going on?" she whispered, closing her eyes, to try and curb the pain in her head.

"Listen Astrid, we've been captured. You took a hit to the head." Hiccup said gently, trying to help her the only way he could "Move slowly!"

Hearing Hiccup, she slowly looked up at him. Seeing his arms tied above him, she gasped and quickly looked up to see her arms tied similarly. "Gah! I was stupid! I should have known someone would come!" She growled, looking over at Hiccup. Acting too fast for her senses, she then groaned as her head continued to ache.

"Astrid, don't blame yourself. No one could have seen this happen." Hiccup said sternly "You can't and you won't blame yourself for this."

"Stormfly…" Astrid whispered, looking back up at Hiccup with a worried look "Where's Stormfly?"

"She's safe." Heather's voice said, pulling both their attentions to the gate of the cage. Standing next to her was Windshear, glaring at the two prisoners.

"Heather?" Astrid gasped in confusion, looking back over at Hiccup.

"Told you no one could have expected this." Hiccup replied simply, returning a look back to Astrid.

"We trusted you! You were our friend! We helped you!" Astrid shouted, fighting the ropes that held her arms "I trusted you!"

"I'm sorry Astr-" Heather began to say, looking down from her.

"Sorry!? This is being sorry? What about all those time we helped you? We put ourselves and our dragons in danger to help you! Why? Because we cared about you!"

"That's why I had to do what I did." Heather replied, looking back at Astrid "Dagur is family. I'm going to care about my family."

"That still doesn't answer my question!" Astrid spat back, anger clearly showing on her face and in her words "How does that excuse you to forget everything we did for you!"

"Because blood is thicker than water." Heather whispered, kneeling down in front of Astrid "I'm sorry. I really am. I wish I could have done something else. If I was alone when I found you, I would have let you two escape. But I had some men with me. They would have told Dagur what I would have done." Standing up, she then said "I'll keep your dragons alive. And healthy. But as far as you two go…well, Dagur said he has plans for you two, so there's little I can do for you."

"That means a lot to us." Hiccup quickly said, glaring at Heather "Thank you. Friend." The last word had venom in it, making Heather uncomfortable.

Looking away, she then stood up and started to yell at the men on the ship "Come on! Get your butt's going! We have a few days of sailing left!"

Feeling the ship sway a little bit, Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other. This was it. They were captured and going to be used for another one of Dagur's plans. With the rest of the riders back at Dragon's Edge, no one would know where they were.

Feeling the ship begin to move out of the bay, Hiccup just blankly looked up, not sure of what to do.

* * *

"Come on…Come on!" Matt grunted, chipping at the ice in the center of the arch that hung over the bay. Working for 10 minutes, he was able to dig down about four feet into the center of the arch.

Hearing some shouting below him, he peered over the edge to see the ships starting to leave.

"Hope this is works!" Matt whispered, letting sweat roll down his face from the stress and the work he did. Grabbing the container of Nightmare Gel that Snotlout gave him, he quickly opened it up and made a small trail that led to the hole. Dropping the container in the hole, he then grabbed a piece of flint that was attached to his hatchet. Angling it just right, he ran the head of the hatchet across the flint and let sparks fly. Watching the gel take fire, he quickly sprinted away.

Sprinting as fast as he could, he heard a loud explosion, to where he could feel the heat behind him. Matt dove onto his stomach to give him a few extra feet from his project, covering his head from any debris. Rolling onto his back, he saw the archway slowly collapse, dropping boulder sized ice chunks below.

Smiling, he then crawled over to the edge and looked at his work. Crashing into the water below, he watched the first ship with all the dragons ram into the boulders that sealed the bay away. It worked. He stopped them from leaving!

Looking at the ship that Hiccup and Astrid were on, he saw it was veering away from the first ship and close to the trail that led down to the bay. Seeing this, he then saw an opportunity to get on the ship. A risk, yes, but one that he thought could work. Especially now that he was sure that dragon and rider would be looking for him, he had to try something risky. Crouching, he quickly pulled his backpack off and began to open it up. Pulling out a small, spring assisted knife, he slid it in his coat pocket over his chest. Making sure it wasn't going fall out, he then focused on unstrapping his snowboard. "Hopefully I'll be able to get Astrid a weapon at least…" He grunted as he dropped his snowboard on the ground. Stepping onto the board, and hearing it click; he felt his feet get latched onto it. The new snap on bindings were a real time saver. "Well, here it goes." He whispered again, prepping himself, mainly his leg for what he was about to do.

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid stared in disbelief as the last boulder crashed down. The first ship was stopped, having suffered a little damage to the bow of the ship.

"What did that" Astrid asked, looking at Hiccup with a mixed expression of excitement and confusion. They now had a little extra time to think of a way to escape. "Did you have something to do with this?"

Shaking his head, Hiccup answered "I have no idea what happened! It wasn't me!"

"Sure it wasn't!" Dagur roared, walking up to the cage "Who's here? The big kid? The two that look like each other?"

"I swear Dagur!" Hiccup shouted back "I have no idea who did that!"

Drawing his sword, Dagur then calmly said "Think carefully before you answer again Hiccup. It might end Astrid's life."

"Dagur! Listen to me!" Hiccup shouted, glaring at him with anxiety "You have Toothless, Stormfly, and Astrid. I can't stop you from getting to them. Of course I'm going to tell you the truth! I have no idea who or what did that!"

Dagur calmly walked up to Astrid's side of the cage, causing her to glare at him. "Wrong answer Hiccup."

"Dagur wait." Heather's voice interrupted. Walking to her brother, she then said "Let me do a quick patrol on Windshear. I can find whoever did this. I'm guessing you would like Astrid alive for your plan."

"Sadly, your right." Dagur growled, staring at Astrid. Sheathing his sword, he turned to Heather and said "Get going. If you can't find anyone, come back and help us move the blockade."

"I'll be right back." Heather replied, turning and running to Windshear. Jumping on her, she glanced at Astrid, who was staring angrily at her. Quickly turning away, she then shouted "Alright Windshear! Let's get going." At that the dragon launched into the air, banking slowly to the left and deeper into the island.

Watching her disappear, Dagur turned to Hiccup and said "You better hope it's not someone you know. I'll make sure their death is slow and painful if it is."

"I promise Dagur, if it is someone I know, I had no idea they were here." Hiccup said, shaking his head slightly at the angry, insane Viking.

"We'll see Hiccup. We'll see…" Dagur growled, glaring at him.

Astrid at this point had a surprised expression on her face, looking up above Dagur. "What the?" She said out of confusion.

Seeing her expression, Dagur turned just in time to see a green and white board crash down on top of him.

"Gaaagghhhh!" He screamed, falling backwards and hitting the cage hard.

The person on the board then fell backwards, landing on his back. "Ugh, could have landed that better." he groaned, reaching up to unbuckle himself from the board. Rolling onto his knees, he then grabbed the hatchet that he dropped when he crashed into the one guard. Turning, he saw another one of the men run at him with a raised hammer.

Out of reaction, not so much skill, he threw the hatchet at the charging Viking and luckily stuck it in his shoulder.

Screaming in pain, the man dropped the hammer and gripped his shoulder. Matt wasted no time and tackled the man to the ground. Swinging a well-placed punch into the man face, he then quickly pulled the hatchet out of the shoulder and stood up. His leg then sent a jolt of pain up his body due to the new stress. Stumbling, Matt ignored it and continued to limp to the cage and aimed at the ropes holding Hiccup's hands, since he was closest to him.

"Matt? Is that you Matt? Wha- How?" Hiccup exclaimed, staring at the snowboarder as he then began to hack at the ropes with the hatchet.

"Not now Hiccup." he quickly said, slicing the ropes off "Focus on untying Astrid, I'll get the door open."

Running to the door, he was about to try to pry the gate open only to feel something wrap around him, pinning his arms together. "Gah! Let go!" He shouted, trying to get his arms out of the tight wrap.

"No!" Astrid shouted, staring at him in horror. Hiccup whirled around to see what happened, completely forgetting about Astrid.

Lifted up in the air, he turned to see the metal-like dragon holding him with its tail. Knowing he was defeated, he then sarcastically said "Sup. Don't mind me, just taking a look at the cage." To which the dragon just growled at him.

The rider was off her dragon and helping Dagur back up onto his feet. Coughing from being hit by the snowboard, he then marched up to the helpless, hanging Matt; who put on a casual smile; despite the seriousness of the situation.

"So…who are you supposed to be?" he asked, drawing his sword and lifted Matt's chin up with it.

"Go to Hell." Matt grunted, feeling the tail tighten around him. Trying to shift his arms, he could feel it getting harder to breathe.

"I'd answer his question." The black haired girl said, walking up next to the Viking holding the sword "Windshear likes to crush her victims. It makes them suffer. If she's feeling generous, she'll just cut them in half."

"Fine. Twist my arm." Matt heaved, feeling it tighten again "Matt. My name is Matt." He exhaled, feeling it forced out with the air that was left in his lungs. He then felt some relief, with the tail loosening lightly. At this point a large group of men surrounded him and the cage.

"Well Matt, you kind of inconvenienced me with that little show you had." Dagur said, drawing the sword back. "The only way I can think of repaying the favor is to drown you. Slowly."

The girl then shouted at her dragon, saying "Windshear, over here."

The dragon then moved Matt over the water, letting him helplessly dangle over it.

"Dagur stop!" Hiccup shouted, running to the cage and gripping the bars.

"Why? Do you know him Hiccup?" Dagur asked, turning slowly to him.

Hiccup froze for a second, not sure of what to say. Thinking for a second, he then said "I do."

"Well that's unfortunate for him." Dagur said gleefully. Turning to Heather, he then said "We'll start by cutting his hands off. Then maybe his arms up to the elbows.

Matt stared at Dagur in horror, realizing he was in deep trouble. Struggling, to get free, he was then thrown by Windshear against the cage, sending another jolt of pain up his leg. "Ergh…Thanks for helping my situation Hiccup…" he whispered, glancing up at Hiccup with anger in his eyes.

Seeing that Matt was about to be tortured, he quickly whispered "Play along!" Looking up at the approaching Dagur, he then shouted "He was helping me find a treasure!"

"A treasure? What kind of treasure?" Dagur asked, turning to Hiccup. Matt also looked at Hiccup, confused at what he was talking about.

"I don't know what it is exactly. That's why Matt was meeting us here!" Hiccup continued, ignoring Matt's confused look "It was a partnership. I knew where it was, and he knew what to look for!"

"So what is it?" Dagur asked, looking down on Matt.

"It's called The Wasatch." Hiccup said, looking at Dagur with concern.

Matt's head snapped up, looking at Hiccup when he said those words. His dragon's name. Realizing what he was doing, Matt then helped the act by saying "Hiccup. Stop. That's enough!"

"No. Tell me more actually." Dagur said, grabbing Matt by his coat "Strange gear you're wearing Matt."

"It's common where I'm from." Matt replied, standing up as Dagur pulled him off the deck of the ship.

"So, tell me more about this, Wasatch treasure." Dagur continued, stepping back from Matt to let him recover.

"I'm not feeling very talkative." He continued, taking in deep breaths now that he was able to "I'm still recovering from having by breath squeezed out of me."

"Funny. But stupid." Dagur said with a scowl "I'll drag you behind the ship if you don't tell me." Looking at the ice blockade, he added "Well, once we get out of here."

"Alright, you convinced me." Matt huffed, giving Hiccup a death glare. Standing up straight, he turned to Dagur and said "First off, it's not so much a treasure as it is an artifact. A relic."

"Ok, what's so special about this?" Dagur asked.

"I don't know for myself. All I know is what was written about it." Matt said, glaring at Dagur; acting as if he didn't want to share his information "It's said that you can control the power of lightning with it."

"Really…" Dagur said methodically, stroking his chin.

"Dagur, you're not really buying this are you?" Heather asked, walking up to her brother "I mean, an object that controls lightning? Really?"

"Even if it doesn't have the powers that Matt's telling us about," Dagur said "I imagine that it's worth quite a fortune."

"Then let's use Hiccup to find it. He apparently knows where it's at!" Heather argued, making Matt flare up with anger.

"You need Matt." Hiccup said, seeing that Heather could de-rail their con. "I know where the island is, but he's the only one that knows what it looks like. And how to use it."

Dagur stared at Hiccup for a moment. Eyes narrowing, he then asked "So how did you know where the treasure was, and not know what it was?"

"See!? Something's not right!" Heather argued, looking at the three.

Matt prayed Hiccup would think of something, seeing that they'd figure out the lie.

"The Dragon Eye. That's how I knew." Hiccup answered, unfazed by the question "Matt is a treasure hunter and when he heard that I had some information on The Wasatch, he sent me a letter."

"We agreed to meet here, since it was halfway from where I'm from, and then we were going to go to the island." Matt lied, looking at Heather. He knew she was the one that needed convincing.

"Heather, come talk to me real quick." Dagur said, eyeing Matt carefully and walking away.

Heather glared at Matt, and then slowly backed away with Dagur.

Matt then turned to Hiccup, whispering "Fishlegs told me no one knew where Wasatch was!"

"I found his island a week ago." Hiccup whispered back "Listen. He lives in a cave on the south side of the island. Inside the cave is a chest with your saddle."

"Perfect." Matt whispered back.

"Hit me. Be angry!" Hiccup urged quietly.

Not saying anything, or showing any acknowledgement, Matt grabbed Hiccup by his shoulder strap and shouted "You sucked me into this!" Pulling Hiccup into the cage, he added "I'll kill you!"

Before he could actually try to throw a punch, he felt himself grabbed and pulled away from the cage. Thrown onto the deck, he rolled a few feet until he finally stopped. Looking up, he saw Heather standing over him with her axe pointed at his face.

"Here's the plan." Dagur announced, walking towards the cage "I'm going to stay with the ships and help clear the blockade; and since I don't want to give Hiccup or Astrid a chance to be able to escape. Again. And the fact that they don't really know what to look for, we're sending Matt with Heather on Windshear to ride to this…Treasure Island. Understand?"

Hiccup just nodded, glaring at Dagur.

Turning to Matt, Dagur then said "You have two days to find this treasure. If you don't, Heather's instructed to kill you. No questions asked."

"Heh, you never really done treasure hunting have you?" Matt asked, putting on a wry smile. Heather then hit him on the side of the head with the flat side of her axe. Rubbing his head, Matt then said "Two days it is then…"

"And finally," Dagur added, glancing between both Hiccup and Matt "If Heather and Windshear don't show up within the two day time frame, Hiccup and Astrid are dead. I just need their dragons for my plan. It would just be easier with them."

"Fine." Matt hissed, slapping the axe away from his head. Rolling up onto his feet, he then said "One question, if I may."

"Of course! Please, go ahead and ask!" Dagur said with a happy smile.

"Two actually." Matt said, glancing over at Heather "First one. What are your guy's names? I've kind of been lost as far as trying to know you are."

"Heather." She replied simply, glaring at Matt.

"I am Dagur." Dagur replied "Dagur the Deranged."

"Terrific." Matt muttered, looking back over at Dagur "Second question. Say we get you The Wasatch within the two day grace period. What happens to us?"

"You get to live." Dagur said with a smile "As prisoners of course, but you still live." Turning to Hiccup, and Astrid he added "All of you."

Matt didn't say anything. He just glared at Dagur with anger.

"Well, seeing that you have no more questions, you better get going!" Dagur said loudly, pulling Matt's backpack off.

"I might need that…" Matt said, feeling himself grabbed from behind.

"No…No you don't." Heather said gruffly, spinning Matt around. Grabbing a rope, she then ordered him "Hands up front."

"Is this necessary?" Matt asked, extending his hands to her.

"Yes it is." Heather said, wrapping the rope around his wrists "Now shut up. You're riding in front of me."

"Like I have a choice." Matt huffed, being pushed towards the Razorwhip. Not being able to make eye contact with Hiccup, he slowly slung his leg over Windshear's neck. Trying to get himself comfortable, he felt Heather slide on behind him.

"Just so you know, I just wanted to leave you here to die on the island." Heather growled quietly into Matt's ear "I think this is a waste of time and energy."

"Noted." Matt replied back. Turning to Dagur, he then asked out loud "So…where we going?"

"That's where you come in Hiccup." Dagur said loudly, turning to Hiccup "You're going to draw them a map to where they need to go."

Nodding, Hiccup said "I'm going to need some paper and ink."

"Coming as we speak." Dagur said, looking at one of his men walk up with a bottle of ink and a roll of paper.

Letting it get handed to him through the cage, Hiccup unrolled the paper and began to draw the map. Dagur at this point looked over at Astrid, who was still sitting there with her hands tied. Smiling, he asked "Comfortable Astrid?

Astrid just glared at him, not saying anything. Relaxing her arms, she let them hang above her as she turned away from him.

Shrugging, Dagur looked down to see Hiccup drawing some details on the island.

"It's more of an ice island. Similar to this one." Hiccup said, picking up the map and blowing on the ink to dry it. "Smaller, but similar."

Dagur grabbed the map, inspecting it to make sure there was no hidden message for Matt. Seeing that it was pretty straight forward, he rolled up the map and handed it to Heather. "Head on an eastern direction, then you can check the map to see where to go."

Nodding, Heather grabbed the map and shouted "Alright Windshear, let's get this over with."

Windshear shot up into the air, having Matt cling to her head to keep him from falling backwards into Heather.

Watching them disappear, Dagur looked at Hiccup who was also watching them fly away. "Turn around and sit down. Got to tie you up again…"

Reluctantly, Hiccup tore his gaze from the direction Matt and Heather flew off too. Slowly turning around, he looked at Astrid as he slowly sat down, wishing there was something he could do. Lifting his hands above his head, he felt a rope pull them into one of the metal bars and tighten around his wrists.

"Now stay there while your brother Dagur works on a way to get this ice cleared up." Dagur said, walking away from the cage.

Making sure they were alone, Astrid asked "Do you think he'll be able to get to Wasatch before Heather has to…"

"I hope so." Hiccup whispered back, hanging his head low "But if Heather's really changed that much since we last saw her, I'm afraid of what she will do when she discovers what The Wasatch is."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Here it is! Hope you enjoy it! I'm pretty sure you'll like what happens throughout the story, I just have to build it up first! Let me know what you think of it so far, and if there is anything that you see that I can improve on; ie, better fights, more character development, etc.**_

 **Chapter Seven: The power of the Wasatch**

The wind howled by as Windshear continued to fly low and close to the ocean. Shivering at the wind and ocean spray, Matt zipped up his coat higher to stop the coldness from blowing down his coat. Doing so made Heather punch him in the side.

"Easy!" Matt gasped at the hit. Turning to face Heather, he waved his tied hands and added "Not much I can do tied up! Other than put on my goggles and zip up my coat."

"I don't care. Don't move without telling me what you're doing." Heather ordered, glaring at Matt.

Shrugging, Matt faced forward, thinking of what he would do to get away from Heather once he finds Wasatch.

"By the way, what are goggles?" Heather asked, not taking her eye off of Matt.

"Oh, am I allowed to talk now?" Matt replied sarcastically, facing Heather once again.

"You're really trying my patience." Heather growled, drawing her axe to add to the threat.

"I know I am." Matt simply replied, trying not to show how scared he actually was. "Tell you what, I'll answer one of your questions, if you answer some questions of my own."

"No." Heather said shortly, shaking her head rapidly.

"But you don't have to answer if you don't want to. Deal?" Matt pressed "Besides, it'll make this trip go by faster."

Thinking for a second, Heather shrugged, saying "I'll agree to that. But you answer my question first."

"Goggles are these things." Matt said, pulling up the goggles from where they were hanging on his neck "They protect my eyes from sun, snow, and other debris."

"Don't they block your vision?" She asked, looking at them quizzically.

"Nuh-uh uh!" Matt quickly said, shaking his head with his careless smile getting a little bigger "My turn to ask a question!"

"Ugh, fine!" Heather huffed, rolling her eyes "Well, what is it?"

"How'd you train Windshear?" Matt asked with a small smile "I heard only Hiccup and his friends could train dragons." Heather didn't say anything for a moment, making Matt quickly say "You don't have to answer, I'm just trying to figure out some questions in my head."

"No, I'll answer this one." Heather said quietly. Matt couldn't help but pick up a hint of sadness in her voice. "I knew Hiccup and Astrid before today." She said quietly "I picked up a few things from them when I was with them."

It was a good thing Matt had his goggles on, because his eye twitched vividly. This girl knew Hiccup? Knew him well enough to be taught how to train dragons!? Now here she was helping the insane Dagur. Biting his tongue, he could only nod.

"Ok, my turn." Heather said, looking back up at Matt "So do those things block your eyesight?"

"Nope." He replied simply, covering the anger in his voice with a happy-go-lucky flare to it "Go ahead and put them on, just please don't drop them; they're incredibly hard to replace. Oh, and don't worry about me, I'll raise my hands up so that I can't do anything."

Looking at him skeptically, Heather then slowly reached up and grabbed the goggles. Lifting them off over his head, she stared at them, as if unsure about putting them on.

"They don't bite!" Matt said with a jest in his voice, his head turned to watch her "Just slide them over your eyes!"

Doing so, Heather slowly put the strap on the back of her head and let the goggles slide over her eyes. "Oh wow!" she gasped, looking around in them "Everything's darker!"

"That's the tint that they give. That's how it helps you when it's bright outside, or if the sun is reflecting off the snow. Or water in this case." Matt chimed in, watching her look all around. "Ok, my turn."

"I guess it is." Heather said, still amazed at what the goggles were able to do.

"Is Dagur really your brother? Or is that just a tribal term?" Matt asked, trying to learn more about Heather. Then he quickly added "I mean, you two look nothing alike. He's got fire red hair, while yours is a coal black. I mean, I guess you two have the same eyes, but even your faces are built different!"

"He's really my brother." Heather said, lowering her eyes at the comment.

Seeing her look away, Matt then said "I won't pry, but I feel as if you're not very…happy with that."

"I'm not going to tell you my personal feelings." Heather quickly shot, glaring up at Matt.

"Don't worry! You don't have too." Matt quickly said, turning away from her "Just making an observation."

Thinking for a moment, Heather then asked "Do you have family?"

"Well, since it is your turn, I guess I'll answer!" Matt said with another wide smile.

"Just, just forget about the turns." Heather said, closing her eyes and shaking her head "It just makes it annoying."

"Fair enough." Matt said, shrugging at the new rule. Looking at her in the eye, he then said "I do have family. Some close, and some far. And by far, I mean far away. Feels like a whole new time change when I visit them!"

"Must be nice…" Heather whispered super quietly, looking down.

"What was that?" Matt asked, not hearing what she said.

"Not important. How many immediate family members?" Heather quickly followed up with.

"Just my dad." Matt said with a frown. Remembering his mom, he quickly shut his eyes and turned away.

"Can I ask what happened to your mom?" Heather asked, trying to look over his shoulder.

"Got sick. Died a month later." He replied simply, looking forward. A small tear formed in his eye, to which he quickly blinked it away.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Heather replied softly.

"Sure you are." Matt huffed "You're the person who's going to execute me if we don't find a treasure in two days! On an island that we know nothing about!"

Heather didn't say anything. Instead she just turned away from Matt and bit her lip.

After a few minutes of silence Matt then asked "How long did you know Hiccup and Astrid? And how well did you know them?"

"I met them a few years ago. Maybe four?" Heather said quietly, still not looking at Matt.

"And?" Matt pressed.

"I don't want to talk about it." Heather quickly said, narrowing her eyes as she glared up at Matt.

Shrugging, Matt didn't need her to say anything. Her guilty looking face told him everything he needed to know.

"Ok, what is this Wasatch?" Heather asked, changing the subject.

"I only know what I've been able to read about it." Matt said, letting his voice go serious to convince her of all the lies he was going to say "It's not that big. At most the size of a shield and at least the size of a small rock."

"Great. That won't be hard to find." Heather groaned, sitting back on her saddle.

"Why do you think I protested about the two days?" Matt asked, quickly looking back at Heather "I'm just praying that we can find it before the time runs out."

Heather didn't say anything. This was hardly fair for Matt, and yet she was expected to carry out Dagur's wish.

"Just do me a favor." Matt quickly said, returning his attention to what was ahead.

"What's that?" Heather asked, unsure of what was about to be asked.

"Make my death quick and bury me in a legit grave." Matt said flatly, not even turning to see her reaction.

Heather just stared at Matt, not knowing what to say to that. Shaking her head slightly, she pulled up her hood over her head and focused on flying ahead.

* * *

"That looks like the island." Heather said out loud, looking down at the island from the map she was holding.

"Hiccup wasn't lying when he said that it was another ice island." Matt observed, looking at the snow covered ground. The ice cliffs and glaciers hinted that the island never saw spring. "At least there's a few trees on the southern part of the island." He added, pointing at the groves of trees. Secretly, he was scanning for Wasatch. If he couldn't find him, he was just a standing dead man.

"So where should we start?" Heather asked, guiding Windshear to land.

"I don't have a specific location. Nor a landmark to guide us with." Matt replied, scanning the ground "Reading about The Wasatch though, the direction South is mentioned several times. So if I was a betting man, which I am actually, I'd say we start south and look for obvious places."

"Obvious places such as?" Heather asked, guiding Windshear to the southern part of the island.

"Canyons, cliff faces, big boulders, big trees." Matt sounded off "Caves even."

"Wouldn't it be buried?" Heather asked, looking at Matt quizzically.

"See, now that's why I'm the treasure hunter, and you're the captor." Matt said, rolling his eyes as he turned to look at her "Your thinking of a legit gold and silver treasure. That's not even close to what we're looking for. We're looking for a single object. An artifact of some sort. It was probably treated with respect and held in a shrine like place. In short, it wants to be found, not hidden."

"I still think we should dig a little." Heather huffed, being completely destroyed by Matt's reasons.

"Too bad you took my shovel away huh?" Matt quickly shot back "It was strapped on my backpack; as was a few other items that would have helped us find it."

"Shut up." Heather said, rolling her eyes at the comment. Landing Windshear on the ground, she then slid off her saddle. Stretching, she then said "Ohh! Feels good to get off and walk around for a bit."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Matt whispered, also dismounting from Windshear. He of all people was getting sick of riding on a dragon. Taking a step back, he accidently slipped on a patch of ice, causing him to tweak his leg. "Garrgghh…" He breathed, losing his balance with his tied hands. Falling to his side, he ended up sliding down a small incline.

"What happened!?" Heather shouted, jogging after Matt who was struggling to stand up.

"Just my leg." He breathed loudly, rolling over to where he was sitting up so he could massage the leg.

"What's wrong with your leg?" She asked, looking at it as he gripped it with his tied hands.

"I had an injury, ok!" Matt said angrily, looking up at Heather. Thrusting his hands forward, he then asked "Mind untying me? I'm not going to be able to help much like this. Besides, you still have a dragon to help you if I get stupid lucky and get the upper hand on you."

Thinking for a moment, Heather then shrugged at the idea. Reaching down, she untied his hands and recoiled the rope. "There, now where do you want to start?"

Rubbing life back into his wrists, he looked at the cliffs that were facing south. Pointing to them, he then said "There. They face south and have potential to have a cave or something."

"Fine, let's get going." Heather said, picking Matt up by his coat.

"Jeez, next time why don't you just drag me to where we're going next time?" Matt grunted, straightening his coat.

"Just shut up before I decide to gag you. I need your eyes, not your mouth." Heather threatened, rolling her eyes at the comment. Pushing him slightly, she followed right behind him. Windshear eyed Matt warily as they walked through the small forest of trees, the only thing that they knew to be living on the island.

"At least the snow isn't as deep as the other island." Matt quietly added, kicking some snow up in front of him "A little bit more hospitable huh?"

"Can't you just focus on what you need to do to stay alive?" Heather asked with an annoyed voice.

"Already am." Matt simply replied, looking around him "I've been looking for anything that might be out of the ordinary while we're walking to those cliffs. What have you been doing to help find The Wasatch hmm? I mean, besides yelling at me."

"What did I do to deserve this?" She moaned, looking up at the grey sky.

Matt just scoffed at the comment, turning around with a grin on his face "You know, I'm not usually this talkative. I guess it's my way of handling the stress that you're putting on me."

Drawing her axe, she pointed it at him and said "Seriously, if you don't shut up, I'll put a little more stress on you."

Letting his grin disappear, he quickly returned his attention to the cliffs. He was actually talking to try and draw Wasatch to him, hoping that his dragon would recognize his voice. Now not being able to, he was going to have to just hope that he could find him.

Walking through the trees, they finally arrived at the cliffs. Looking around, Matt then began to walk around the cliffs, acting like he was observing some rocks and small cracks.

"Well, what now?" Heather asked, looking at the cliffs.

"We do what you suggested. Focus on what I need to do to stay alive." Matt replied, walking around where the cliff turned. Inspecting the cliff, he saw a cave that looked like it burrowed deep into the cliff. Smiling, he then caught a glimpse of something that took his breath away. A purple tail was revealed inside the cave, which disappeared just as fast as he saw it. His body was flooded with instant relief, knowing that he now had a chance to fight Heather with her dragon; and more importantly, win. Feeling for his pocket knife that he left in his coat, he quietly pulled it out and slid it up his coat sleeve. Hearing Heather walk behind him, he turned to face her with a big smile on his face. "Found a cave! Like I guessed there would be."

"Great. Let's check it out." Heather huffed, slightly pushing Matt ahead "Let's see if your luck stays with you."

"Easy!" Matt said, stumbling at the push "I told you my leg hurts every now and then."

"Just move!" Heather groaned, rubbing her forehead out of annoyance.

Seething in anger, Matt began to walk towards the cave, to where he started to say "I've got a good feeling about this cave. Something's in here."

"Great. I might not have to kill you after all." Heather said flatly, following closely.

"No, you might not need to." Matt whispered, walking up to the entrance of the cave "At least the entrance is big enough to light up the entire cave! Makes it easier to search." His voice echoed in the cave.

"I'll agree with you on that." Heather said, looking around the cave. Turning she saw Matt walk casually deeper into the cave, as if he wasn't afraid of her anymore; and expecting something. Curiously, she whispered to Windshear "Keep an eye on him. He's up to something."

"Hey, check all along that wall. I'll check over here." Matt shouted, walking to the other side of the cave "Look for a crevice or something. A pedestal, even a small ornate chest. Just something you'd keep something valuable and important in."

"Fine." Heather replied back, turning to face the wall. "Go walk next to him Windshear." She whispered, scanning the cave wall. Windshear then walked up to follow Matt, inspecting what he was doing. Heather then ran her hand along the wall, to feel for anything out of the ordinary. Feeling like she was wasting her time, she looked farther down the cave and saw a small crevice. Walking to it, she then gasped as she saw a small wooden chest tucked away into it. "Matt! I found something! A small chest!" She exclaimed, pulling it out from the crevice.

Matt jogged towards her, tenderly caring for his leg since he aggravated it earlier. Looking at the chest, he then said "That's weird. Not as grand as I was imagining in my head."

"Guess you're too much like a treasure hunter." Heather said, looking up at Matt with a grin of her own "You keep important objects in simple containers. That's how you mask the value!"

"Guess you believe me about The Wasatch being real." Matt observed, kneeling down at the chest with her.

"It's getting harder not too." Heather said, still grinning at him. Windshear at this point looked over both Matt and Heather's shoulder, curious as to see what they found. Heather turned to her dragon with a wide smile, petting her dragon.

Matt looked at Heather. It was honestly the first time he saw her smile since he met her. She was pretty cute, especially the way she wore her hair. "Too bad she wanted to let me die." He thought to himself, returning his attention to the chest. "Mind if I open it? This is what I was dreaming of since I heard Hiccup knew what island it was on."

Shrugging, Heather slid the chest to him, motioning for him to open it.

Smiling, Matt slowly opened the lid. Letting it get wider, he acted surprised when he saw a series of straps and his old bindings he used. In reality, he was overwhelmed with nostalgia.

"What is this?" Heather asked, pulling at one of the straps "This…isn't what I was expecting."

"I don't know…there has to be more to it!" Matt said, frantically looking around. Glancing around the cave, he searched for his friend. He knew he saw Wasatch! He knew he did! Looking up, Matt finally saw who he was looking for. Hanging on the ceiling, was Wasatch; watching them carefully. Standing up and putting his goggles on, Matt then said "Actually, you know what. I do have an idea what they are."

"What then?" Heather asked looking up at Matt.

Sliding his knife out of his sleeve, he flipped open the blade with lightning speed. "It's my saddle!" Matt said, holding the knife to Heather's throat.

"Wrong move!" Heather shouted "Windshear! Cut him in half!"

"Wasatch! Now!" Matt screamed, launching himself backwards as Windshear's tail smashed into the rock wall.

An eerie screech sounded, as well as a bright flash; blinding all that were inside the cave. Heather reached her hand out to feel the wall, guiding herself out of the cave. Blinded by the flash, she felt herself grabbed from behind and thrown onto the ground. Still in a daze, she felt a knee fall on her chest, knocking the wind out of her. Wheezing and disoriented, she tried to swing her axe at her attacker, only to be quickly disarmed.

"Well, well, well…" Matt said, pulling down his goggles and smiling at Heather who was still recovering from what just happened "Looks like the tables turned!"

"Windshear! Help!" Heather gasped out, finally getting some of her eye sight back.

"She's not going to be able help." Matt said, pressing his knee harder into her chest.

Coughing at the added pressure, Heather frantically looked for her dragon. Twisting her head, she gasped as she saw a purple dragon on top of Windshear, radiating lightning and keeping her dragon stunned and immobile. "Get off of her!" She wheezed, glaring up at Matt.

"Maybe. If I'm feeling nice by the end of this." Matt replied, glaring back at her. Pressing his knife against her throat, Matt then demanded "What's Dagur planning with Toothless and Stormfly? Why does he need Hiccup and Astrid?"

"You know, I can see why you weren't really talkative when we captured you." Heather hissed back, fire burning in her eyes "I'm not even recovering from my breath being squeezed out of me.

"Fine, don't tell me." Matt shrugged, swinging his fist down hard into her side.

"Oooohhhh…." She groaned, closing her eyes as she tried to deal with the pain in her ribs.

"Wasatch. Shock the dragon." Matt then said, looking up from Heather.

Wasatch roared and let out a lightning bolt, hitting Windshear again, who screeched in pain.

"Stop!" Heather cried, staring at Windshear in horror.

"Talk!" Matt yelled, grabbing her chin and pulling her face to look directly at him "I'm usually a pretty easy going guy, but for some reason, you seem to bring the worst out in me."

"Fine! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything that I do know!" Heather cried out in a panic "Just stop hurting her!"

"That's enough Wasatch!" Matt ordered, looking up at his dragon. Seeing the Skrill back off, Matt saw that Windshear had fallen unconscious, laying there motionless but still breathing. Looking back at Heather, he then tossed her axe towards the entrance of the cave. Standing up, he then ordered "Get up."

Heather rolled to her side, coughing as she felt his knee come off of her. Looking up at Matt with anger, "I should have killed you when I ha-"

"Had the chance?" Matt finished for her, motioning her to get up with his knife. "Get real Heather. You didn't want to kill me. You still have feelings for Hiccup and Astrid, and you originally wanted to leave me on an island to die. You didn't want to do the dirty work. Didn't take long for me to figure that out." Pointing to turn around, he then said "Give me the map and the rope; then put your hands behind your back. Now."

Reluctantly, Heather pulled off the coil of rope and the folded paper that was the map; tossing them both to him. Watching him pick it up, she then turned around and faced the purple dragon that still stood atop of Windshear. Feeling her wrists get pulled together, she then asked "Isn't that a Skrill? Why is it not attacking you?"

"Boy you're slow." Matt huffed, drawing the rope tight "He's my dragon. The all-powerful Wasatch. Your dragon having metal-ish skin didn't help her case of fighting him."

"The Wasatch?" Heather asked in confusion, wincing as Matt tightened the rope even more so. Realizing that the dragon's name was Wasatch, she then yelled "So all this was a trick!?" Feeling Matt finish tying her hands together she whirled around and asked "How did you plan this!?"

"It was Hiccup's idea." Matt said shrugging "I just made it up as I went." Flipping his knife open again, he then said "So, if you want to keep your dragon alive, you're going to tell me everything that you know about Dagur and his plans."

"All I know is that he wanted me to help him capture dragons! I don't know why exactly, but it was for something he's creating!" Heather said, staring at Matt angrily "He didn't tell me what he exactly what it was or why he needed Hiccup and Astrid!"

"Really? That's hard to believe." Matt said, looking over at Wasatch who was waiting to shock Windshear again.

"I'm telling the truth!" Heather yelled, stepping up to Matt "He mentioned something, something he called 'The Black Curtain'."

Quickly pointing his knife at her, he then said "You won't walk up to me like that again."

Heather looked at him in surprise, realizing he was treating her the same way she treated him. Looking away from his eyes, she then said "You were right, I wasn't going to kill you. You already knew that."

"Yeah, figured that out real quick." Matt said, eyeing her angrily "Now it's your turn to give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you!"

Looking up at Matt, she then asked "Do you know what it's like to be alone? To not have anyone to talk to when you're going through a rough time in your life? Or when you need someone to help you out?"

Matt just stared at her, not sure where she was going with what she was saying.

"I spent most of my life like that! I lost my birth parents before I could even really have memories with them! My adopted parents were killed when Dagur raided our village!"

"So naturally you joined him to help him out on his murderous rampage." Matt scoffed, not buying what she was saying.

"I wanted a family!" Heather yelled, staring at Matt with pleading and anger in her eyes "Dagur was the only family member I had and so I chose to be with him!"

"What about Hiccup and Astrid huh? You said you knew them!" Matt asked angrily "Did you think that helping Dagur capture them, would help you feel less alone?"

"No! It made me more alone!" Heather shouted, her eyes almost begging Matt to understand "Please! Let me explain!"

Matt just stared at her not sure what to think. He could feel the sincerity of her pleas, but he also knew that she betrayed Hiccup and Astrid; what would stop her from betraying him? Not saying anything, Matt just nodded, allowing her to talk.

"Thank you." She whispered, breathing a sigh of relief. Taking a deep breath, she then said "When I first saw Hiccup and Astrid back at that island, I didn't want to do anything to them. I knew what would happen if Dagur or any of his men saw them. Sadly, that was what exactly happened. When the men I was with spotted them, I had to capture them."

"Why? Because of Dagur?" Matt asked, trying to understand Heather's reasoning.

Nodding, she then explained "Though he treated me as a superior compared to his men, he never really trusted me. I was trying to earn his trust for the longest time, and when I delivered Hiccup and Astrid to him, he finally did." Looking up at Matt, she then said "When he said he trusted me, I thought I would feel complete; whole again." Shaking her head, she quickly explained "I felt emptier. Every time Hiccup or Astrid looked at me, I felt as if something was being pulled out. I knew I was losing myself."

Matt didn't say anything. He wanted to believe her, but with what happened, he couldn't get him to do it. Shaking his head, he then turned to Wasatch "Come on Wasatch, we're getting out of here."

"Wait! Let me come!" Heather said, walking up to Matt.

Matt glared at her, forcing her to stop in her tracks. "I can't afford to bring you." He whispered, his eyes not backing down. "I'll let you live. Not because I believe you in your story, but because you weren't going to kill me." Kneeling down, he grabbed the straps that was his saddle. Letting Wasatch get close, he began to strap it on him.

"Please…Matt, you've got to let me help!" Heather pleaded "It's the only way that Hiccup and Astrid will ever look at me again!"

"You should have thought of that before you joined Dagur." Matt whispered, finishing strapping the bindings on Wasatch. Petting his dragon, he then said "Let me ask you one more question. Before I leave you here."

"Matt…" Heather whispered, shaking her head out of helplessness.

"What is family?" Matt continued, ignoring Heather's plea "Is it only limited to those with the same blood as you? Or does it extend to those who called you friend and treated you like one of their own?"

Heather looked at Matt with a completely crushed expression, seeing what he was meaning.

"I have plenty of family members that hate each other. Heh, they even hate me." Matt continued, stepping onto Wasatch and strapping himself into his old bindings "And then I personally have friends that would lay down their lives for me, had they the chance to do so." Kneeling down on Wasatch, he then added "Like I know Wasatch here would do so. I'm still alive because of him!

Wasatch roared at the comment, sending a small shock through Matt.

"Gah!" He shouted, completely caught off guard from the shock. Looking down, he smiled as he said "Heh, I totally forgot about that bud! Sorry this hasn't been the reunion we were both hoping for."

Heather didn't say anything. All she could do was watch Matt ride his dragon out of the cave.

"I'm going to have to do something to guarantee me getting Hiccup and Astrid back." Matt said, hanging from Wasatch to pick up Heather's axe. Grabbing it, he turned to her and said "I'm sort of sorry about doing this."

Before Heather could respond, Matt shouted "Wasatch! Shoot the cliff wall!"

Doing so, Wasatch let out a large lightning bolt and struck the icy cliff. Heather watched in horror as the entrance of the cave was sealed from the falling ice and rock. The only light in the cave was the bluish glow from the ice that sealed the cave. Not able to do anything, she slowly walked over to where Windshear lay, still out like a light. Sitting down next to her dragon with her arms still tied behind her, she stared at the entrance, wishing she could redo a few things."

* * *

"There." Matt said, watching the last of the rock stop rolling "That'll hold her until her dragon wakes up. Even then, it'll be work for them."

Wasatch just growled, looking up at Matt.

Smiling, Matt knelt down and rubbed his head with his beanie hat. Charging himself up, he then reached down and shocked Wasatch.

Roaring, Wasatch shocked Matt again, happy to have his trainer back.

Laughing, Matt then said "Alright boy, let's get out of here. We need to do a quick rescue mission." Checking his straps, and making sure he still held Heather's axe, he then shouted "Give me all you got bud!"

Wasatch just roared, launching straight into the air. Matt leaned forward to balance himself, until Wasatch stopped accelerating. "After this bud, we'll have some quality time!" He shouted, banking Wasatch in the direction they needed to go in. Wasatch just roared in response, pushing himself harder so that they would get where they needed to be in record time.


	8. Chapter 8

_**So I've had a lot of people pm me, asking if there will be a HeatherxMatt romance. My answer. Haha! You'll just have to wait and find out! Hope you're enjoying the story, this one will be significantly longer than the older Dragon Boarder stories, so a lot can happen. As usual, enjoy!**_

 **Chapter Eight: Returning to sender**

A heavy fog covered the bay where Dagur's men were busy trying to remove the blockade of ice, creating an eerie feeling in air. Unable to even see the blockade from where he was standing, Dagur then began to brood. He was so close to being able to use Hiccup, yet it felt so far away. His thoughts were pulled away when he heard one of his men jog up to him.

"We got most of the ice out of the way Dagur!" he said while saluting "We'll be out of here before the hour's through!"

"Good! We needed to be out of here yesterday!" Dagur replied, pacing back and forth impatiently. Looking over, he saw Savage and a handful of his men sitting and talking around a barrel. Walking up to them, he softly asked "Savage, how are you doing?"

"Wha? Oh! Good I guess Dagur." Savage replied, turning to face Dagur.

"Hmmm…are you sure you're doing well?" Dagur asked again, calmly staring at Savage.

"Uh…yes, I think I am!" Savage replied, now not so sure about his answer.

"Then kindly explain to me why we aren't sailing away from this frozen wasteland!" Dagur screamed, grabbing Savage by his shirt. Hefting him up, he then threw him into the water and continued to shout "Get to work! I want this blockade opened in fifteen minutes!"

"Dagur! The first ship with the dragons can get through!" another Berserker shouted, running up to Dagur "It's scraping against some rocks, but we'll clear them out for your ship!"

"Great! Finally some good news!" Dagur breathed, turning to the Berserker "Send them to our dragon prison. I'm taking Hiccup and Astrid with me to our new headquarters."

Astrid and Hiccup listened in on the conversation that Dagur had with his men, making Astrid look up at Hiccup in worry "What if Matt find's Wasatch too late? What will he do to find us when he gets back and learn that we're gone?" She whispered.

"I don't know…" Hiccup whispered back, looking at Astrid in the eyes "I…don't know…"

Astrid closed her eyes out of frustration. Everything was so messed up right now. First, with being captured by Dagur; the second, being that Heather betrayed them and helping him out; and then thirdly, with Matt back in their world, his life was now in danger. Again.

"We have to trust Matt." Hiccup whispered, trying to stay positive with their situation "He's our best bet right now."

"He might be our best chance Hiccup." Astrid whispered back, glaring at him "But I think we should at least try to give ourselves some more chances."

"Like what?" Hiccup retorted back "More importantly, how?"

"Like this maybe…" Astrid grunted, twisting her hands back and forth. Feeling the heat from the friction of the rope on her gauntlets, she kept on twisting her wrists in a way where the heat was slightly fraying the rope that held her hands above her. With most of the men busy working on the blockade, no one was guarding them.

"Be careful Astrid!" Hiccup whispered, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was watching.

"Just keep watch." Astrid quietly whispered, focusing on the rope "Don't worry about what I do!" Driven with the added pressure that they might be leaving soon, she ignored the burning feeling that was growing on her wrist.

"Stop Astrid! Dagur's coming!" Hiccup hissed, watching Dagur focus on the cage and make his way towards them.

Astrid quickly stopped, angry that she couldn't work on the rope. Though for a short time, she did make a little progress. She could feel the rope slightly looser around her wrists.

"Hiccup! Astrid! I'm sure you over heard, but we're almost able to go home!" Dagur said laughing with outstretched arms "I'm sure you'll love the place!"

"What about our dragons? Where are you taking them?" Astrid demanded, looking up and glaring at Dagur.

"A home for themselves!" Dagur answered with an eerie coolness "Don't you worry one hair on your pretty head! Heather takes real good care of our dragons!"

Astrid fidgeted when Dagur said Heather would be taking care of Stormfly.

"Does Heather know about where to meet you? To drop off Matt?" Hiccup asked, straining to turn his head to see Dagur.

"Ah, Matt…about him." Dagur said, smiling. Moving in a spot where Hiccup could see him better, he then rested his hand on his own forehead and shook it slightly, acting as if he had forgotten something. "This is kind of embarrassing. I don't even know where to begin!" Sighing, he finally looked at Hiccup in the eyes, smiling even wider than before. "You see Hiccup, letting him live would be letting him get off the hook easy! He still blockaded my ships!"

"No…" Hiccup whispered, realizing what Dagur was going to say.

"I asked Heather to...uh…finish him off when they found The Wasatch." Dagur explained, watching Hiccup's face turn pale "You see, I couldn't let him think he could get away from the consequences of his actions." Looking at Astrid, whose face looked as his she could kill him right there, he added "Think of it this way, you'll have a lot more room to share your cell with Astrid!" Turning, he looked down at Matt's backpack and snowboard. Attached to the backpack was his hatchet. "Guess we won't be needing these things for long. Huh Hiccup." At that, he turned and laughed as he walked away.

"We need to get out of here!" Hiccup whispered, turning to Astrid "And get our dragons!"

"Hiccup…" Astrid whispered back "We're too late…the ship carrying Stormfly and Toothless is out of the bay."

Hiccup strained his neck to try and see. Able to catch a glimpse of the ship slipping past the blockade, he just stared at it in disbelief. "No…" Hiccup whispered, turning to face Astrid. Letting his head hang low, he whispered "I failed him. I fai-"

"Hiccup! You didn't fail him! For all we know, he could still be alive!" Astrid argued, glaring at Hiccup "Focus on watching for guards! I'm going to try and get free!"

"Then what!?"Hiccup asked, getting angry.

"Convince Dagur to take us to our dragons." Astrid said, twisting her arms again "In a painful way."

Not saying anything, Hiccup strained his neck to keep watch.

Feeling the burning feeling on her wrists again, Astrid ignored the growing pain as she tried to burn through the rope. Her drive was now fueled with anger instead of desperation. They should have known Dagur would want to end Matt's life regardless of result. Looking around, she could hear some men shouting, as if they were moving something heavy.

"Got it! We're clear enough to get out of here!" a Berserker shouted.

"Set sail! I want to be there by the next night!" Dagur's voice ordered.

Focused on listening on the conversation, Astrid looked up to see her gauntlet on her right hand had frayed due to the twisting and rubbing. The rope was still around her wrist, but now a lot more loosely. She knew she could slide her hands out. "I'm free Hiccup." Astrid whispered, closing her eyes to try and curb the rope burn she just acquired.

"Good, now what?" Hiccup asked, turning to face her.

"We wait for a guard to come by." She replied, watching as men began to step onto the ship, some of them soaking wet and shivering. Dagur was busy talking to a few other men, turning and pointing to her and Hiccup. Nodding, two men began to walk towards them.

"Get ready Hiccup." Astrid whispered "I'm going to take one guard down, then I'll cut you free. We'll have to work together to open the door."

"I'll be right with you." Hiccup whispered back, relaxing his body.

The two guards then walked up to the cage, both standing behind each prisoner. Astrid turned to look at her guard, seeing a sword hang loosely on his side. All she needed was for him to get closer. "Excuse me?" She asked looking up at the guard "Can you please scratch my back? I have this itch that won't go away!"

Grunting, the guard just shook his head, still standing there with his arms folded.

"Please! I've been trying for the past hour to get it!" Astrid begged, pleading with her eyes.

"Fine! Just keep quiet!" the guard said, annoyed at having to do a menial task. Kneeling down, he then began to scratch at her back.

Feeling his hand on her back, she immediately slipped her hands out of the rope and turned around in record timing. Grabbing the guard's shirt, she then pulled him hard into the bars, his head smacking the metal.

"Oohhh…" he groaned, falling limp.

"Oh that's it!" the other guard said, running to the door of the cage.

Seeing him open it, Astrid couldn't believe her luck. Grabbing the sword, she instantly swung it around with all her force. Seeing the strike, the guard leapt out backwards, rolling out of the cage.

Seeing she had a free moment, she quickly cut Hiccup's rope. "I'll get you a shield! Stay close!" Astrid shouted, bolting out of the cage.

"Right behind you!" Hiccup shouted back, sprinting behind her.

"What the!?" Dagur screamed, seeing Hiccup and Astrid on the deck of the ship. "Get out into open waters! We can't let them leave!"

Astrid at this time, countered a strike from an axe. Bringing her foot up, she kicked the lone guard in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground. With the handle of her sword, she hit him in the head. "Hiccup! Get this guy's shield!"

Hiccup wasted no time, pulling the shield off the fallen guard. Standing next Astrid, he then said "Ok, how do we get Dagur?"

"Cut through each Berserker that stands in our way." Astrid growled, watching as the crew began to focus on them.

Hiccup turned to see that the ship was starting to slip out of the bay "Let's get off the ship! We'll force them to come after us!"

"Fine! Hurry!" Astrid shouted, turning to follow Hiccup.

Hiccup sprinted to the side of the ship, still close to the shore. About to jump off, he was caught off guard as a crossbow arrow sank into the wood where his hand was going to grab. Jumping away, his prosthetic leg tripped up against his other leg. Crashing down, he looked up to see Astrid standing over him, ready to defend him.

"Sorry Hiccup! Can't let you escape that easily!" Dagur laughed, reloading the crossbow. Pointing it at Astrid, he then said "I figured you would be the one to escape first!" Astrid just glared at Dagur, her sword still raised. "Come on Astrid," Dagur said, showing off his crossbow "do you think that you can out run an arrow?" The rest of Dagur's crew surrounded them, as the ship sailed out of the bay. Astrid could only helplessly watch the shore get farther and farther away, until it disappeared into the thick fog.

"It's alright Astrid, we tried." Hiccup said, picking himself up.

"How can you say that!?" Astrid yelled, turning to Hiccup "Our dragons are going to some place we won't find, we're still on this ship with that maniac, and Matt could be dead as we speak! So don't tell me it's alright!"

"And we'll be killed if we don't surrender." Hiccup said quietly "That won't help anyone."

Astrid just glared at Hiccup. Turning to face Dagur, she then slowly let the sword drop and let it lay on the deck.

"That's better." Dagur said with a smile, dropping the crossbow as well. Looking at one of his men, he then said "I want them separated. Put Hiccup in the cage and tie Astrid to the mast."

Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other as they were both grabbed and pulled away. Hiccup was dragged into the cage and roughly thrown in. Astrid tried fighting the men that held her arms behind her back. Feeling a rope tighten around her wrists, she winced as they rubbed against the rope burns. Turning her head, she gave the Berserkers a death glare.

Hiccup stood up in his cage and walked over to the side, gripping the bars. Watching Astrid trying to fight the ropes, he just shook his head at what was happening.

Suddenly, an object fell out of the fog, landing behind the entire crew and Dagur. Rolling with the inertia, the object was actually a person! Hiccup stared at what happened with wide eyes, seeing that it was Matt who fell out of the sky.

Down on his knee, he grunted as he forced himself to stand up "Damn, I really need to stop jumping."

"What the!?" Dagur yelled, turning to see Matt stand up casually.

"Long time no see Dagur, ol' buddy!" Matt said with a smile, waving his hand.

"How did you-" Dagur asked, staring at Matt with wide eyes. Astrid was also staring, not sure if she was dreaming or seeing things.

"Nope, you stop talking." Matt said, raising his hand "I'm giving you one chance. One chance to let Hiccup and Astrid go. If not…eh, well I get to blow your ship up and get Hiccup and Astrid anyways."

Dagur, finally composing himself, started to chuckle "Well, as scared as I am of you, I think I'll take my chances."

"You think your chances are better than the ship that was carrying all your dragons?" Matt asked, pointing behind Dagur.

Slowly, Dagur turned around and stared into the fog. An orange glow started to emerge from the white fog, slowly revealing a burning ship. Looking over the side of the ship was a growling Toothless, glaring at Dagur. Seeing the ship get closer, Toothless leapt across the water to land right next to Matt. Stormfly then appeared from the fog, landing on the other side of him.

"How in Odin's name did you…" Dagur whispered, staring at two dragons, both growling.

"Oh, it was easy when I found The Wasatch." Matt said while shrugging at the question, not wanting him to know about his dragon "It had a lot more power than what I read! Now, think carefully before choosing, because I'm leaving here with Hiccup and Astrid regardless; let them go, or take a cold swim."

Dagur stared at Matt, anger showing on his face. Thinking for a second, he then surprised Matt by suddenly smiling. "Fine. I'll give you Astrid. But Hiccup's coming with me. If you try to save him, I'll send an arrow into his throat."

Matt stared at him for a moment. After what felt like an hour to Astrid, he then said "Deal. Send her over."

Astrid stared at Matt, angry that he wasn't fighting for Hiccup. Feeling the ropes cut off of her, she was then shoved towards him. "What are you doing!?" She hissed, walking up to him.

"Trust me." Matt whispered back. Looking at Dagur he then waved good-bye and followed Astrid to Stormfly. Hiccup watched them helplessly as he gripped the bars.

About to jump on Stormfly, Matt then turned to Dagur and said "Oh yeah! I forgot!" Smiling, he then opened up his coat. Pulling out Heather's axe, he then said "Would you be interested in knowing where Heather is?"

Dagur had a vein visibly bulge out of his neck, staring at Matt with his own insane glare. "I figured you killed her to get away." He said, letting his cold anger build up inside of him.

"And give up a chance to do some business? Nah. Besides, not my style." Matt said with a smile. Holding the axe up, he then extended it to where it showed the double axe. Tossing it on the deck, he then said "You see Dagur, if you sail right now, you'll be able to save her; and I know you need her to help you capture your dragons."

Dagur then shouted "She told you what she was doing for me!?"

"Yup, not that she had much of a choice. I was pretty convincing." Pulling out the map from his coat, he then said "Her location, for Hiccup. Deal?"

"What did you do with her?" Dagur growled, taking a step towards Matt.

"Please don't take a step closer to me again." Matt said, his face getting serious. Holding the map over the side of the ship, he then said "If you do, you lose any chance of finding her; since I'm sure Hiccup's not too keen on telling you where that island is. And I know you don't have a photographic memory."

Dagur just glared at Matt, wishing he could kill him.

Seeing that he had Dagur's cooperation, he then said "Let Hiccup go, and I'll give you the map and tell you where she is on the island."

"Fine…" he growled, knowing he wouldn't be able to win. Turning to the men who threw Hiccup in the cage, he then ordered "Open it up."

Two men grabbed the door and heaved it open. Hiccup quickly jogged out, only to be stopped by Matt.

"Wait one second, Hiccup." Matt said. Pointing to his bag and snowboard that lay next to the cage, he asked "Can you grab my stuff for me?"

Hiccup turned and slowly walked up to Matt's stuff. Picking up the bag and snowboard, he made eye contact with Dagur. Not saying anything, or making any kind of gesture, he then turned and walked towards Toothless.

"I'll ride with you." Matt said, letting Hiccup walk past him. Looking at Dagur in the eye, he then said "Here's the map, as promised." Dropping it on the deck, he then said "She's in a cave on the south side of the island, along the cliff face. The entrance to the cave is sealed, but she'll have enough air for at least a few days."

"I'm going to be coming for you Matt." Dagur hissed, glaring at him as he turned to climb onto Toothless. "And when I find you again, you'll be wishing I had killed you."

"You know Dagur, I think you'll learn that I'm pretty hard to find when I go home." Matt said, not batting an eye as he sat himself on Toothless. Getting comfortable, he then said "I'm set Hiccup. Let's get out of here."

Toothless launched into the air, with Stormfly following shortly. Smiling, Matt turned to see Dagur's ship disappear in the fog. Relief flooded his body. He was able to save Hiccup and Astrid with no strings attached. Other than painting a big target on his back for Dagur.

"Matt!" Astrid said out loud, guiding Stormfly to fly next to Toothless "How did you escape from Heather!?"

"Good to see you too!" Matt laughed, looking over at Astrid.

"I was worried I was sending you to your death!" Hiccup said, turning to face Matt "You really know how to time your arrivals!"

"I heard that presentation is the best way to do things." Matt said sarcastically, laughing at their good fortune.

"So, I take it you found Wasatch?" Astrid asked.

"Pull up over the fog and you'll see!" Matt replied, pointing up.

Hiccup quickly let Toothless climb steeply. A few short seconds later they broke through the fog, to reveal a clear, blue sky.

"There he is!" Matt shouted, pointing behind them. A roar sounded, revealing the location of Wasatch. Flying just under the fog, his spikes stuck out and made him look like a shark hunting them. Flying out of the fog, he coasted on the other side of Toothless, happy to see his trainer again.

"I'm going to ask my question again." Astrid shouted "How did you get away from Heather?"

"I'll explain later. All I care about is getting you guys home." Matt said "Besides that, I'm getting real tired of flying on a dragon. I think I'm putting anywhere from 36 to 40 hours on a back of a dragon! With very little sleep!"

"Well let's not keep you on any longer than you need to!" Hiccup said laughing "You want to try and ride Wasatch?"

"Just get me close. I'll sit on him for the ride instead of standing." Matt said "I think I tweaked my leg pretty good when I landed on the ship."

"It's still bugging you?" Astrid asked, looking at Matt with concern.

"Like I said, I'll explain everything when we get down, sleep, and get something to eat. I'm friggin' starving too!" Matt said, focusing on Wasatch as Toothless got closer. Seeing his dragon right under him, he calmly slid off of Toothless and onto Wasatch. Panicking a little bit when he landed, he gripped Wasatch's head as he made sure he was secure. "Gall, that was terrifying." He grunted, positioning himself up on Wasatch's neck.

"Matt, I know it's a little late, but it's good to see you again." Hiccup said, smiling at Matt as he leveled off with him. "I was just thinking of you a few days ago!"

"Likewise Hiccup. It's good to see you guys too!" Matt replied, looking at Hiccup and then to Astrid.

"Man, we have a lot to fill you in on." Astrid said, looking over at Matt "A lot's changed since you've left!"

"That's what Fishlegs was telling me." Matt answered, looking over at her "I saw Dragon's Edge. That's an amazing place Hiccup!"

"Yeah it is!" Hiccup threw in "All thanks to-" Hiccup's blood froze. "The Dragon Eye! Dagur still has it!"

"The thing that helps you find dragons?" Matt asked, looking over at Hiccup with a worried look.

"Yes! And Dagur still has it!" Hiccup shouted, almost hysterically.

"Hiccup! Calm down!" Astrid called out "If you go back now, you can bet that he'll be ready for you! I'm sure he realizes he can use it to set up a trap for us!"

Hiccup had an empty look on his face. With Dagur having the Dragon Eye, he knew every dragon nest was in danger. Turning to both Matt and Astrid, he then said "We're going to need to regroup and come up with a plan. We can't let Dagur have it!"

"I agree Hiccup. I'll stay and help you out." Astrid said softly.

"You can bet I'm staying here to help!" Matt said out loud "I didn't save you just to put you in a position to get captured! Again!"

"Thank you guys." Hiccup said weakly, focusing on what was ahead "I'm going to need all the help I can get."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Playing catch up**

Thump. Sccccsshhhh. Thump.

Matt slowly stirred as his quiet, black world was disturbed by the annoying sound. Groaning, he rolled to his side and out of habit, reached for his phone. Instead of feeling his square phone, he accidently grabbed something scaly. Feeling an electrical shock shoot through his body, Matt jumped awake and scrambled away from what he grabbed. Looking up, he saw Wasatch smiling at him.

"Are you kidding me!?" Matt shouted, resting against the wall he crawled to "You seriously had to shock me?"

Wasatch just growled, still smiling at his furious trainer.

"Ugh…Come on Wasatch. You knew I was tired!" Matt whined, slowly rolling onto his feet. Stretching his arms out, he then let out a loud yawn. "Eh, well, I guess I can sleep when I'm dead huh?" he muttered, looking over at the anxious dragon.

Having spent the night at Dragon's Edge after their little adventure, and running into the rest of the dragon riders who were one their way to help Fishlegs; Hiccup, Astrid, and Matt all decided that it would be best to get some rest before visiting to catch up with each other; and to come up with a plan to get the Dragon Eye back.

Having slept in the dragon hanger with Wasatch, Matt looked around at his nest of blankets. Once set up to be a nice bed for him, it was now just a scattered mess. Shaking his head with a smile, he then took a step forward, only to feel his left leg rivet with a sharp pain. "Eerrgghh!" He grunted, dropping to his knees.

Wasatch quickly nuzzled Matt, making sure he was ok.

"Give me a second Wasatch, just got to let it get its strength back." Matt groaned, rubbing his leg to help massage the pain away. "I definitely overdid it when I jumped onto Dagur's ship. Twice."

Wasatch then lowered his head under Matt's arm. Lifting it gently, he then helped Matt onto his feet.

"Thanks bud." Matt breathed, leaning against his dragon. Limping out of his stable, Matt pushed the door open and began to limp towards the hanger's main door. Walking to the lever that Hiccup told him to pull, he did the very action. Feeling the cold air rush onto his body as the doors opened, he saw that there was a skiff of snow on the ramps and walkways.

"Morning Matt!" Astrid's voice sang above him.

Limping out and looking up, Matt smiled as he saw Stormfly slowly descend and land in front of him. Astrid then jumped off her and jogged to Matt. "I was about to wake you up! You've slept all last night and half the day!"

"Heh, old habits die hard." Matt excused, shrugging at the time he spent sleeping "I've been sleep deprived for a few months with school."

"So…you wanna put a coat on? A shirt at least?" Astrid asked, looking at Matt's shirtless body "I mean it is the middle of winter."

"Eh, sure…I guess that would be a good idea." Matt laughed, looking down at himself "Wasatch kept me pretty warm last night. I was actually sweating a little bit!"

Smiling, Astrid walked with Matt back to the dragon cage. Seeing his tattoo on his shoulder, she then said "A Skrill head for a tattoo huh?"

"Better believe it!" Matt said, stepping away from Wasatch "It was one of the things I did to make sure I never forgot what happened."

Smiling, Astrid then watched him limp on his own. "How bad is the leg?"

"Take a guess." Matt quickly said, his smile disappearing slightly "I've been coping with it since last time I was here."

"Is it bugging you more than usual?" Astrid followed up with, stopping at the gate to the stable. Leaning against the doorway, she watched him limp to his pile of stuff and grab his flannel shirt that was thrown on top of it.

"Since I had to do some drastic things to save you guys, yeah it's a little aggravated." Matt replied, his smile returning. Sliding the shirt on, he then asked "Where's Hiccup? Don't tell me he's sleeping as long as I did?"

"Take a guess." Astrid said, shaking her head at thinking about Hiccup "He's been trying to come up with a plan to get the Dragon Eye back."

"You guys still need to tell me what that is." Matt followed up with, walking out of the stable "I can't even get create a picture of it in my head!

"Think of a cylinder." Astrid began to explain, turning with Matt "When you shine a fire, or bright light through it, it projects an image. It's had a few locations of where some dragons were. Which is why you found us at the Icy Wastes."

"Wow…didn't know you guys had tech like that." Matt responded, impressed at hearing what the Dragon Eye was. "So, what about you? What have you been up to Astrid?"

"Eh, you know. Helping Hiccup, ignoring the Twins. The usual." She replied with her usual confident smile.

"Is Snotlout still…you know, hitting on you?" Matt began to say, raising one of his eyebrows to add drama to the question.

"Nope. Well, not as much." Astrid quickly said "He's still a showoff; and arrogant at most times."

"Got that from the few minutes I spent with him." Matt whispered, shaking his head as he thought of the conversation he had with him "But, he is the reason why I was able to save you guys. Er, well stall the ships at least."

"Thank you for that Matt. I never really took the time to tell you that." Astrid said, walking up a ramp to another section of Dragon's Edge "That was brave for you to stand up to Dagur like that when you were captured trying to free us."

"Eh, I was motivated." Matt said shrugging "Seeing you guys in trouble kind of made me act. Not really think. When I threw my hatchet into that guys shoulder; that was out of luck and reaction, not skill or strategy."

"It worked in the end." Astrid said with a wider smile "If you want, I can give you some tips on throwing an axe."

"I'll take you up on that!" Matt said with a smile. Looking around on the new section they were on, he saw a building with wide doors, only partly open though. "Is that where we're going?"

"That's Hiccup's room. It's more of a dragon stable than anything else, but it fits him and Toothless well enough." Astrid answered. Pushing the doors a little wider for the dragons to be able to fit through, she then guided Matt to where Hiccup was.

Seeing him sitting at a table, with his back turned to them, Matt signaled Astrid to be quiet. Sneaking past her, he got right behind him, kneeled down, and grabbed the lower part Hiccup's good leg; acting like a snake bit him.

Hiccup yelped and jumped in the air, banging his knee into the table as a result. "Oooh! Matt!" Hiccup yelled, realizing who did it. Gripping his knee in pain, he then shouted "I already lost one leg, I don't need to lose the other!"

"Sorry Hiccup!" Matt laughed out loudly "I didn't think you'd react that bad!"

"Yeah, sure you did." Hiccup said, scowling at Matt. After a few seconds of being angry, he then smiled broadly and grabbed Matt in a hug, trying to lift him. "Hah! It's good to have you back Matt!"

Laughing at Hiccup's attempt to pick him up, Matt broke out of the hug and grabbed Hiccup in his own hug. Lifting him up, he then said "I've been wanting to come back since I left! It's good to see that nothings' gotten boring since I left!"

"Heh, well there were a few months where we had nothing to do." Hiccup began to say "Before we found the Dragon Eye, we explored every single rock that was mapped out! Twice!"

"And now you're exploring new islands and getting captured along the way." Matt teased, dropping Hiccup onto his feet.

"Ah, yeah, about that." Hiccup said, shaking his head "Thanks for helping us out. That was something no one could have expected.

"What? Getting captured by Dagur?" Astrid teased, walking up next to Hiccup.

"No." Hiccup said, shaking his head "It was Heather. I didn't think she would've betrayed us like that."

"Who was she? I figured out that you knew each other, but were you guy's even friends?" Matt asked, folding his arms and taking a seat on the table.

"We were friends." Hiccup said, resuming his seat position "Until Dagur turned her against us."

"Hiccup, she chose to side with him! She didn't get pushed into it." Astrid cut in, obviously still angry with the subject.

"She was seeking a family!" Hiccup defended "She just wanted to be needed!"

"She had that with us!" Astrid quickly shot back, her voice heated with the anger.

"Hold up for a second guys." Matt interrupted "Could you bring me up to speed with her, like where did you first meet Heather?"

Hiccup turned to Matt, saying "We ran into her a few times actually."

"Both times we helped her!" Astrid added, glaring at Hiccup.

Ignoring Astrid's comment, he then continued to say "The first time we met her, she was helping Alvin. She was actually forced to." Turning to Astrid, he then said "You know that more than anyone."

Astrid just glared at Hiccup, not saying anything.

"Alvin held her parents hostage. The only way he would release them is if she brought him the dragon book." Hiccup resumed talking, looking back to Matt "We were able to get it back and help her get her parents as well."

"Ok, I remember you mentioned her when you were telling me about the dragon book last time I was here." Matt replied, shifting his sitting position "And frankly, sounds like something Alvin would do."

"Yeah, you have quite the experience with him huh?" Hiccup said with a smile "Anyways, she took Stormfly as well when she went to deliver the book."

"Explains a little bit of why you don't like her." Matt whispered, facing Astrid.

"No, when I learned why she did it, I eventually forgave her." Astrid growled "It was when she helped Dagur capture us that made me hate her."

"Hate's a strong word Astrid." Hiccup said quietly.

"Are you really defending her Hiccup?" Astrid asked loudly, squaring up to him "After all we've done for her, and when she captured us, your still defending her!?"

"Not to mention she was supposed to kill me." Matt added, looking at Hiccup "Though I really think she wasn't going to."

"Right, let's not forget Matt!" Astrid quickly added "She was going to drown him when Dagur wanted to!"

"There's a lot we don't know!" Hiccup quickly countered, realizing he was fighting two people.

"But tell me what you do know!" Matt quickly cut in "What happened when you ran into her again?"

"It was actually a few months ago." Hiccup answered "She attacked one of our fishing ships."

"The more you talk about her, the more you're making her sound like Dagur. Or Alvin." Matt observed, shaking his head.

"Let me finish!" Hiccup replied impatiently "Dagur attacked her village, where she lost her adoptive parents."

"Ok, she mentioned that to me when I got the upper hand on her." Matt whispered, nodding his head.

"How did you do that by the way?" Astrid asked, looking at Matt.

"I'll tell you after." Matt answered, motioning for Hiccup to continue.

"Of course you will. Just like last time I asked." Astrid huffed, folding her arms out of frustration.

"She was gathering supplies to trade with Johann. For information on where Dagur was." Hiccup continued "She wanted to kill Dagur. And she about succeeded too."

"What stopped her?" Matt asked, looking at Hiccup with concern.

Hiccup didn't say anything, he just looked down from Matt's gaze.

"Hiccup?" Matt asked, not sure what was wrong.

"I stopped her. I was the one that learned that Heather and Dagur were brother and sister." Looking up at Astrid, he then said "That's why I'm defending her, Astrid. It was my fault that she wanted to help Dagur. I told her that he was her family!"

Astrid didn't say anything. She just shook her head and looked down.

Matt was the first to say something. "Just from someone who hasn't had a relationship with her, it still sounds like she's someone we shouldn't really trust. Or help. I mean, the Alvin thing is understandable, but she could have asked for your help to get her parents back. But then she attacked one of your ships? Is that what a friend does?"

"Oh, forgot to mention that she knocked out the twins, left Fishlegs hanging from a tree, almost drowned Snotlout in a river, and trapped me in a cave." Astrid growled, looking over at Hiccup.

"Hiccup, what's your definition of a friend?" Matt asked, looking over at him with concern "What's next? You and Alvin became best buds?"

"Eh, more like acquaintances." Hiccup answered, looking at Matt with an apologetic look.

Matt just stared at him, with a mixed expression of anger and confusion. "He's what!?"

"Matt!" Fishlegs shouted, appearing in the doorway. He was quickly followed by Snotlout, the twins, and Gustav, who stayed another night with the academy.

"We're not done talking about this." Matt whispered, turning around to face the group "Morning guys! Long time no see!"

"What happened? You guys didn't tell us anything when we flew into you guys yesterday!" Fishlegs exclaimed, looking at Hiccup excitedly.

"Yes Matt, tell us what happened!" Astrid breathed, glaring at Matt.

"It'd be easier to start from the beginning. Like what happened with you guys." Matt smirked back, knowing Astrid would hate his story being delayed again.

"Maaaattttt…" She growled, warning him as she knew full well what he was doing.

"My story won't make sense!" he defended "Go on, I'll tell you everything that happened to me after you set up the stage."

"At least tell us that there's an explosion or something that burned." Tuffnut cut in "It's not a good story unless something blew up!"

"That's…not true." Hiccup said. Looking over at Matt, he then added "But in this case, there is an explosion."

"Awesome!" Ruffnut shouted, fist pumping the air.

"Well, it kind of started when Astrid and I were looking for a new dragon, a Woolly Howl." Hiccup began to say, returning to his seat and facing the group. "For the longest time we couldn't find one."

"And it was freezing!" Astrid threw in, shivering as she remembered how cold it was.

"Yeah it was." Hiccup agreed "And it didn't help when a storm was blowing all around us."

"Psshh!" Snotlout interrupted "You guys were just pansies about it. How bad could it have been?"

"Bad enough where I thought I could freeze to death." Matt answered, glaring at Snotlout "Even in all my snowboard gear."

"Whatever." Snotlout said, sticking his chest out "I would've been just fine!"

"You know, I think I almost miss the younger, more annoying Snotlout." Matt said, looking over at Astrid.

"You get used to him. Or at least able to tolerate him." Astrid replied, shaking her head at Snotlout. "I'm pretty lucky that I get to hit him whenever I want to."

"ANYWAYS!" Hiccup cut in, glaring at Matt and Astrid "We took cover in a small canyon. While we were walking around, we heard a Woolly Howl. Naturally, we followed its roaring and found it trapped in a net."

"So someone was there…" Fishlegs said, looking at Matt with concern.

"Oh you can bet someone was there." Astrid said, her eyes narrowing as she thought back on what happened.

"Then, as we tried to free it, we were both caught in dragon traps." Hiccup said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Which explains what we found." Matt said, gesturing to Fishlegs "The torn up snow, the cut rope, and the trail."

"Ah, that does explain a bit." Fishlegs said, nodding.

"I was able to get free." Astrid said, continuing the story "But was blindsided by someone."

"Who? Dagur? A Berserker?" Snotlout asked "Should've had me along to take care of you two."

"It was Heather." Hiccup said quietly, looking down from everyone's gaze.

The riders let out an audible gasp, not believing what Hiccup just said.

"No…she wouldn't have done that! Would she?" Fishlegs asked, his face written with concern.

"I knew she was trouble." Tuffnut said, getting a little methodical "I mean, just look at my sister! Nothing but trouble!"

Ignoring the twins, Matt quickly cut in "I think she would have. And happily too." Looking over at Hiccup, he added "From what I was told and what she did in the past, it sounds exactly like what she would of done."

"Matt! We'll talk about this later!" Hiccup quickly said, glaring at Matt. Turning to the rest of the riders, he then said "Listen. I don't know why Heather was helping Dagur. All I know is that until we get all the answers, we're not going to come to a conclusion. Got it? We gave her a chance last time we met her, what different about this?"

"The fact that she was deliberately helping Dagur." Matt quietly said, turning away from the angry Hiccup.

"Why don't you tell us what happened on your end Matt?" Astrid quickly cut in, changing the subject for Hiccup.

"Fine, I guess you waited long enough." Matt laughed, forcing a smile to help change the suddenly tight atmosphere. "So, after Hiccup and Astrid were captured, Fishlegs and I landed at the island. Fortunately, the storm forced us to land in the same canyon that they were caught in."

"Man that was some ride." Fishlegs said, shaking his head as he remembered the heavy crosswinds.

"'bout threw me off!" Matt quickly added, smiling at Fishlegs "Anyways, we found the trail that the Berserkers left from dragging Toothless and Stormfly; that's when I went to find Hiccup and Astrid, while Fishlegs left to get you guys. It didn't take me long to find them, though the trek was miserable. I found them on one of the two ships there, tied up in a cage."

"Oh good. Dagur and his cages." Gustav said, shaking his head.

"The ships were starting to leave. Over the bay they were anchored in, was an ice arch. And since I needed to stop them from leaving, I kinda blew up the arch with Snotlout's Nightmare gel." He continued, looking at Snotlout with a smile.

"Second time it's come in handy!" Hiccup added, also smiling at Snotlout.

"When was the first?" Matt asked, quickly turning to Hiccup.

"Another story for another time." Hiccup said with a smile. Motioning to continue, he then added "Besides, I think Astrid would kill you if delayed your story any longer!"

"Not kill, but hurt!" Astrid threatened, glaring at Matt with fire in her eyes.

Laughing, Matt then continued to say "The gel did what I needed it to. It blew up the arch and blockaded the ships! Seeing Hiccup and Astrid's ship sail closer to the cliff I was on, I decided to snowboard onto it."

"Caught me by surprise." Astrid quickly added "I saw the whole thing happen!"

"As I jumped off the cliff, I happened to land on the guard right next to Hiccup and Astrid. Didn't know that the guard was actually Dagur." Matt said, smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head "Hit him good enough where the only person stopping me was Heather and her dragon. Got me from behind and wrapped its tail around me." Matt's face then turned into a serious look, not liking going to back to what happened. "In short, I was going to be killed. But that's when Hiccup got an amazing plan!"

"I said that Matt was meeting up to help us find a treasure. A treasure called The Wasatch." Hiccup picked up, smiling as he explained his story.

"I thought we didn't know where Wasatch was!" Fishlegs quickly said, only interrupted by the twins.

"Speaking of Wasatch…can we borrow him for a few hours?" Ruffnut asked, looking at Matt excitedly.

"…Why?" Matt hesitantly asked, raising an eye brow.

"No reason! Just wanted to…blow some stuff up." Ruffnut said, not changing her excited look.

"I'll have to think about it." Matt replied, already not liking the idea.

"When did you find Wasatch?" Fishlegs asked again, looking at Hiccup.

"I found him about a week ago. I didn't say anything because I wanted it to be a surprise." Hiccup answered "Astrid was the only one that knew about him."

Nodding, Fishlegs then said "Well, couldn't have been timed better! Sorry for interrupting. Continue please!"

"So, we led Dagur to believe that there was a treasure." Hiccup began again "In hopes to save Matt from Dagur, and in turn save us!"

"That's where Heather took me." Matt then cut in "I was playing treasure hunter, pretending to be looking for something, rather than a dragon."

"So, how did you get away from Heather?" Astrid asked, knowing she was finally going to get some answers "I mean, she fights just as well as I do! And you don't really know how to…no offence Matt."

"None taken." Matt said with a smile "I know I can't really swing a sword or axe yet." Turning to the group he then said "I made Heather believe that the treasure would be in a cave or something similar. When we found Wasatch's cave, I found the chest that Hiccup left in there with my saddle. While our backs were turned and her dragon distracted, Wasatch attacked from behind."

"Tricky." Astrid said, nodding with approval "Did he shock Heather or something?"

"No, he just flashed the cave and blinded everyone. But he did shock Windshear, or whatever she calls her dragon. Didn't help that his electricity was attracted to her dragon's metal like skin." Matt answered "I had my goggles on, so I wasn't really affected. I disarmed Heather, threw her on the ground, and drove my knee into her chest. After that, I learned all I could about Dagur and his plans."

"Speaking of which, what is he planning?" Hiccup asked, looking at Matt with great interest.

"She knew very little. He didn't even trust her." Matt said, hinting that he still stood by his choice to not trust her either "She was just in charge of catching dragons for him. She mentioned a name. She said that Dagur's calling it 'The Black Curtain'. Other than that, she didn't really know anything."

"Whatever it is, it's got to do with dragons." Hiccup said, stroking his chin methodically "And now that he has the Dragon Eye, who knows what he'll do now."

"Dagur has the Dragon Eye?" Snotlout asked, raising an eye brow at Hiccup.

"Yeah, we weren't able to get it back when we escaped." Hiccup said, looking down slightly. Then, looking at everyone in the eye, said "I'm still coming up with a plan to get it back. Just give me some time!"

"Don't worry Hiccup, we'll help you. I'll stay as long as you need to get it back." Astrid said calmly, reassuring him. Turning to Matt, she then asked "So what did you do to her? You mentioned the cave when you talked to Dagur."

"I tied her up, left her in the cave with her dragon; who Wasatch shocked to unconsciousness, and sealed it." Matt said simply "I left her alive, and frankly, Dagur didn't need to rescue her. She could have gotten out by herself when her dragon woke up. I think."

"Glad you didn't hurt her…" Hiccup said softly, ready for the backlash from Astrid and Matt.

Wanting to tear into Hiccup, Matt just sighed and said "I told Dagur that it's not my style. And to be honest, I did hurt her a little. With my knee in her chest, I also punched her ribs. Just to get her to talk."

Hiccup didn't say anything, he just stared at the floor when he heard this.

Ignoring Hiccup, Matt turned to the rest of the group and said "That's pretty much it. Had some pretty convincing points to Dagur to let Hiccup and Astrid go, and in return, I wouldn't sink his ship and would tell him where Heather was!"

"You're the luckiest person I've ever known." Astrid said, laughing to herself and shaking her head "Just with how you found us, tricked Heather and Dagur, and then even got here in the first place!"

"I guess my luck is a skill!" Matt replied quickly "It took me 30 plus hours to find you guys. Just to say hi!"

"And I'm glad you're here Matt!" Hiccup cut in, looking back up at his friend "Looks like we'll be having another Haddock here to explore with us!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Gustav quickly cut in, walking up to Hiccup and Matt "You're a Haddock too? You two are related!?"

Matt quickly looked at Hiccup, then with a wry smile, said "I'm going to let you do the explaining! I'm done talking!"


	10. Chapter 10

_**Here you go! Hope you enjoy this chapter! It's going to be awhile until I update, just because I'm going to be busy with life!**_

 **Chapter Ten: Heart versus brain**

"You need to throw it with a little more wrist." Astrid said, walking up to where her axe was sunk deep into the target.

"Ugh, this is a lot harder than you make it look." Matt groaned, walking to where his hatchet fell to the ground "I keep on hitting it with the handle. It's a miracle I even hit that guy back on the ship!"

"You know, sometimes it's better to be lucky than skilled!" Astrid teased, walking back to where they were throwing from.

"But you get luckier the more skilled you get." Matt countered quickly, following Astrid. "So, just a little more wrist? I think I can do that."

"Don't think, just do!" Astrid quickly said, hurling her axe right into the shield they were throwing at. Seeing it sink right into the center of it, she quickly turned to Matt to watch his attempt.

Focusing, Matt lifted his arm and threw the hatchet, sending it spinning. This time, the back hatchet hit the shield, making it tumble once again onto the ground. "Now what did I do?" he cried out, looking at Astrid with some despair.

"You're just throwing your axe." Astrid answered "Your rotations are inconsistent, they either rotate fast or slow. Focus on keeping it at one speed. That way you can time your throws according to the distance you're throwing."

"That's it. Break time." Matt groaned, flopping himself onto a barrel.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up!" Astrid said with a smile, sitting across from him "I've been doing this my whole life! You're just trying to pick up on it."

"I know, I know." Matt said, shaking his head. Looking up at Astrid, he then smiled "Man, it's good to be back!"

"It's great to have you back!" Astrid replied with a smile of her own "Hiccup and I were talking about you a few days ago!"

"Glad I was missed!" Matt teased, giving her a wry smile "Not very often that happens to me."

Laughing, Astrid just shook her head.

"Hey Astrid, can I ask a question?" Matt asked, his face slowly growing more serious.

"Of course? What's up?" she replied, looking back up at Matt.

"What did you mean when you told Hiccup you'd stay as long as it would take? I mean to get the Dragon Eye." Matt continued "Are you leaving or something?"

"Oh, that…" Astrid said, looking down slightly "I uh, I joined the Berk Guard back home. Both Stormfly and I did."

"Really? That's awesome! I'm sure you two will be great at it!" Matt said with a smile "Are you still able to help Hiccup? Or explore with him at least?"

"A few weeks I'll be able to. But I'm going to be back at Berk a lot more." Astrid replied, looking up at Matt "But this is something I really want to do! I think that Stormfly and I can be the best there is!"

Matt stared at Astrid for a few seconds. Contemplating his next question, he then asked "How do you feel about leaving this place?"

"Honestly, I feel a little anxious." Astrid replied "I've grown too really like it here, but I also realize I can't have both."

"Why not?" Matt asked "Surely Dragon's Edge needs some security. Security you and Stormfly can offer."

"That's not my call!" Astrid said quickly "Listen Matt, I really do like it here, I do! It's just that I've always wanted to be part of the Guard! I was training for it even before Stormfly came into my life!" Pausing for a second, she then added "It's been my life goal!"

Matt just nodded, stroking his chin as she finished talking. Finally, he said "Are you sure it's what you've wanted to do all your life?"

Taken back by the question, Astrid then glared at Matt, saying "Of course it is! You're sounding like Hiccup now! He's been trying to convince me not to go!"

"Can you blame him?" Matt asked again, looking at Astrid in the eyes "I mean, you leaving probably makes him feel like his world is crashing down."

"Ugh, but it's always been about him!" Astrid shot back "Listen, I finally have a chance to do what I've been dreaming of, and I'll still be around to help Hiccup, that hasn't changed! I just want to do something for me once!"

"Don't think I don't want you to join the Guard!" Matt quickly said, seeing her temper begin to rise "That's the last thing I want to do. I'm just saying that you should really think about this before you join."

"I have! I have Matt!" Astrid breathed angrily.

"Let me tell you something real quick." Matt said quietly "You knew I was a pretty good snowboarder right? You know, before I met Alvin."

Astrid scowled at him, reluctantly nodding as she folded her arms.

"I was actually on track to be professional. Basically be paid to have fun and compete against other snowboarders." Matt continued "It'd be equivalent to you riding dragons all day and not having to worry about food or anything like that."

"Sounds great." Astrid said, looking at Matt skeptically "Where are you going with this?"

"I thought that was what I wanted to do with my life." Matt said, putting on a small smile. Then, careful with how he was going to word his next saying, added "I…I knew what I wanted to do. I knew it from day one."

"But it sounds like you didn't have a choice! After Alvin-" Astrid stopped, realizing what she was about to say.

Smiling, Matt then said "Don't worry, you can say it. It doesn't bug me to talk about it. Not anymore at least." Then with a more serious face, explained "I did lose my primary sponsorship, yes. But I could honestly fight the pain and have kept on snowboarding. I could have still gone professional."

"So why didn't you?" Astrid asked, a little hesitant.

"I kind of learned that it wasn't to most important thing in my life." Matt said with a shrug "All my life, I was working, training, dreaming of being the best of the best. And I could have been. But after my first visit here, I realized that there is a lot more to life than just snowboarding, or for what I was training for. I wanted to do things that would make me happy, not just give me pleasure, but legitimately make me happy."

Astrid just looked at Matt, thinking about what he said.

"Listen, Astrid." Matt said softly, seeing he was getting somewhere "I don't want to convince you to not join the guard. I just want you to think about what will really make you happy. You Astrid. Just you. Forget Stormfly, forget Hiccup, forget everyone. Just think of you. What makes you happy?"

Astrid just nodded, seeing what Matt was saying. Looking up at him, she then said "It hasn't changed my mind, but thanks for talking to me about it. It's changed my expectations."

Smiling, Matt just replied with "You of all people will make the right decision. Whatever it may be." Then, looking up at Hiccup's room, asked "Think we should check on him? He's been in there all day!"

"He gets like this when he's stressed, or thinking of something." Astrid answered, also looking up at Hiccup's room "It's just how he handles situations."

"I still can't believe that he still wants to help Heather." Matt said, shaking his head "I mean, I'd be hunting her down if it was up to me!"

"I agree with you, but I also understand where Hiccup's coming from." Astrid said, standing up. Motioning him to follow her, she then explained "I mean, he probably blames himself for not helping her more than we have!"

"I guess I can see that." Matt said, walking right next to her "But still shouldn't excuse her for her actions! I mean she captured you guys! She knocked you out!"

"I know, I'm still angry with her." Astrid quickly said "But you can't be mad at Hiccup for wanting to help her. In his mind, she's a prisoner to Dagur as much as we were."

Matt just shook his head, wishing he could talk some sense into Hiccup.

Walking up to the door, both Matt and Astrid saw Hiccup scribbling something down. This time, not wanting to scare Hiccup, Matt knocked on the door.

Looking up from where he was sitting, Hiccup smiled as he watched both Matt and Astrid walk in. "Well, I'm getting an idea. The hard part is figuring out where Dagur's going to be."

"Sounds like you have a plan though." Astrid said, taking a seat on the table that Hiccup was at.

"Kind of." Hiccup said, pulling out a bigger piece of paper. "This is a map that I put together."

"Looks like a jigsaw puzzle." Matt observed, looking at the map. It had some islands drawn on it, with some blank spaces filling up the rest of it.

"I drew the islands that we know of." Hiccup explained, pointing at one island on the map "This is the one where Dagur captured us."

"So you think that we can guess where he's going next." Astrid said, looking at Hiccup with an excited look.

"Well, more or less. We'll have to split up to cover the different directions that he's going." Hiccup continued to explain "Thanks to Matt, we know he's capturing dragons."

"We find the islands that have dragons, then we find Dagur and the Dragon Eye." Matt quickly added, seeing where Hiccup was going with this.

At this point, Fishlegs ran into the room, obviously winded from running.

Ignoring him, Hiccup then said "That's the plan. We'll be able to find Dagur, and then come up with a plan to get the Dragon Eye back. Might have to use Wasatch again."

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll enjoy it just like he did when we freed the dragons on the other ship." Matt said, rubbing his hands excitedly.

"Uh…Hiccup…" Fishlegs tried to say, only to be interrupted by Astrid.

"What about Heather?" Astrid asked "I know you don't want to talk about it Hiccup, be we need to think about that."

"If we see her." Hiccup began to say "Try to capture her. We need to get her away from Dagur."

"And if capturing isn't enough?" Matt asked, challenging Hiccup's plan.

"It will be." Hiccup said, looking at Matt with some frustration "You'll have to trust me on this."

"Hiccup!" Fishlegs tried to say a little louder, again interrupted.

"You know Hiccup, we seem to differ pretty wildly on this." Matt said angrily "She was responsible for what happened to you!"

"Not from what both you and Heather told us!" Hiccup countered "She only did it because Dagur's men were with her! Besides that, you said yourself that she wasn't going to kill you!"

"Oh, that's comforting." He huffed sarcastically "She was just going to leave me on an ice island to freeze to death. Besides that, who do you think she'll be with when we find Dagur!?" Matt shouted, not believing he was hearing what Hiccup was saying "Come on Hiccup! She isn't the innocent girl that you're making her sound like!"

"HICCUP!" Fishlegs shouted, getting everyone's attention.

"What Fishlegs!?" Hiccup said loudly, still angry with Matt.

"You need to come out for second." He said, obviously, nervous about something. Looking at Astrid and Matt, added "All of you."

Concerned, Hiccup stood up and began to walk out, quickly followed by Matt and Astrid. Walking out, the three gasped as they saw what Fishlegs was talking about. There, standing awkwardly and waiting, was Heather. With Windshear behind her. The rest of the academy was also standing there, awkward about the entire situation.

"Heather!?" Hiccup said, not believing what he was seeing.

"Hiccup." She said quietly, not looking at him in the eyes.

Matt just stared at her, his blood boiling in anger. What was she doing here!? Why was she here? Not caring what Hiccup would say, he marched up to her and said "Did you lead Dagur here? Is this some kind of trick!?"

"Matt!" Hiccup shouted, grabbing his shoulder. Spinning him around, he then ordered "Stand back! I'll do the talking!"

"Hiccup, come on!" Matt shouted, trying to argue with him "This isn't a time to be forgiving!"

"Now!" Hiccup shouted, glaring angrily at Matt.

Letting out a long growl, Matt turned and glared at Heather. Slowly, he walked back next to Astrid, who was also angry to see her.

Seeing Matt stand back, Hiccup turned to Heather and asked "What are you doing here? What's going on?"

"I thought you would like this." Heather said, pulling out the Dragon Eye from her pouch.

"Wha…you brought this back to us?" Hiccup asked, staring in disbelief. Grabbing the Dragon Eye, he then looked up at her and asked "Why?"

Ignoring him, she then added "I also brought these." Pulling out an armful of folded papers, she revealed that they were maps of different islands. "These are the islands that Dagur discovered from the Dragon Eye. He won't be finding new dragons for a while now."

"Heather…" Hiccup said, not believing what he was seeing.

"Listen, I better get going." She said, turning away from him "I know what you guys think of me."

"Heather! Wait!" Hiccup shouted, running to her. Grabbing her shoulder, he then said "Why did you do this?"

"Because I wanted to show you how sorry I am." Heather said softly, her eyes filling up with tears. Looking up at Astrid, she then added "I'm sorry. I knew that words wouldn't convince you, so this was the best thing I could think of."

Astrid just stared at Heather, not sure of what to think. Matt still had his arms folded, still glaring at her.

"Heather, this means a lot. It really does." Hiccup said gently "I don't want you to go. In fact I think that would hurt what remains of our friendship." Gripping her arm, he then said "Please…don't leave."

"But I don't deserve forgiveness!" Heather quickly said, pulling away from Hiccup "I was almost responsible for you and Astrid's deaths! I don't deserve to…" her voice faded "I don't deserve to be your friend."

Hiccup just looked at her with a crushed look. He couldn't help but feel alone himself in trying to help her. At least until Astrid said something. "Why did you do this? Why'd you betray Dagur?" Walking up to Heather, she just glared at her, her eyes demanding an answer.

Looking at Astrid with sorrow in her eyes, she then said "Because of what Matt said when he captured me."

Matt looked at her in shock, seeing that he did something to change her. Well, at least make her look like she was changed. "How? What did I say?" he asked quietly, not wanting to give in to Heather's pleading.

"You asked me if family was more than just blood. If it was also those who counted me as such." Heather said quietly, grabbing her arm. Windshear at this point nuzzled her trainer, seeing that she was uncomfortable. Turning to Windshear, she then explained "I…I had a lot of time to think on that. Especially since it took all of Dagur's crew to dig me out of the cave you left me in. Windshear is still recovering from being shocked."

"I'd say sorry, but that wouldn't really be true." Matt said bluntly, folding his arms and narrowing his eyes. Hiccup glared at Matt, sending him a signal to stop. Reluctantly, Matt then said "But I'm glad it didn't kill you."

Heather just nodded, knowing that he didn't mean it. Turning to Hiccup she then said "You guys have always had my back. You've always helped me regardless of what I've done."

"Of course. That's what friends do." Hiccup said gently.

"But that's the thing. I've only seen you guys as friends. When you've really treated me like family." Heather said quietly, looking away from Hiccup. "I…I just…I'm sorry."

Before Hiccup could respond, Astrid reached and grabbed Heather, spinning her around to make her look her in the eyes. Staring at her, Astrid then said "I'm still going to kick your butt, but I'd like it if you stayed with us."

Matt gaped at Astrid, not believing what he was hearing. Heather too looked at her in complete shock, caught off guard by the comment.

"If you leave, that just confirms to us that you don't really care for us." Astrid said firmly, her eyes narrowing "So please. For your sake, prove us wrong."

"Astrid?" Heather whispered quietly, still not recovered from the kind gesture. Overcome with emotion, she burst into tears and hugged Astrid, feeling even guiltier than before.

Matt at this point said "Hiccup. A word. Please."

Tearing his view from the two girls, Hiccup looked to see Matt obviously angry. Huffing angrily, he followed Matt back into his room. "What's wrong now Matt.

"Are you serious!?" Matt loudly said, yet quiet enough where no one would hear them "It's only been a day since I saved both you and Astrid, and you're welcoming the person who caught you with open arms!"

"Can't you see that she's sincere?" Hiccup countered quickly, also keeping his voice down. Pointing at the door where everyone was standing, he added "She saved us a potential suicide mission in getting the Dragon Eye back! Doesn't that count for something?"

"To soften you guys up! She'll be in a spot to get you guys from behind!" Matt argued, his eye twitching in anger "Does that not concern you!?"

"Matt! I know her! Astrid knows her!" Hiccup said, slapping his forehead out of frustration "You got to know her on a short trip when she was already torn with what to do! You told me that yourself! You said that she was obviously bugged that she was helping Dagur!"

"Ok, ok, ok, ok." Matt said, shaking his head out of frustration "Let's say that she legitimately betrayed Dagur. She stole the Dragon Eye back and his maps in order to gain your trust and forgiveness. What's going to stop her from leaving you again!?"

"She knows this is her last chance. She won't leave until she mends everything." Hiccup replied, folding his arms and glaring at Matt.

"You're missing the point Hiccup!" Matt shouted, only to quickly glance at the doorway to see if anyone heard. In a softer, but equally angry tone, he then explained "She's done nothing for you guys! Nothing! Only when it benefits her, such as the Dragon Eye. She hasn't selflessly helped you guys, and that's all you've done for her!"

"You know Matt, what would you do if you found someone bleeding to death?" Hiccup quickly said, his eyes narrowing.

"Don't change the subject Hiccup." Matt breathed out loud, returning a stare of his own.

"Answer the question. What would you do?" Hiccup quickly shot back, ignoring Matt's comment.

Furious, Matt rolled his eyes and said "I'd help them the best I could!"

"Would you expect payment in return? Have them pay you for your help?" Hiccup pressed.

"Well, I'd make sure they never forgot. That's for sure." Matt answered, leaning against the wall behind him. "But no. I wouldn't ask for money."

"That's exactly what's happening to Heather." Hiccup began to explain "She's bleeding out mentally. She's hurt and alone, with no one to turn to."

Matt didn't say anything, just wishing he could convince Hiccup on how wrong he was.

"We're going to let her stay with us. That's final." Hiccup said, turning to the door to walk out.

"Hiccup wait." Matt said, watching Hiccup turn away.

Hiccup spun around and looked at Matt, waiting for what he was going to say.

Hesitating, Matt then said "I still think you're making a wrong choice, but fine, I'll support you in letting her stay."

Hiccup let a small smile grow on his face, glad that Matt wasn't going to fight him anymore.

"But I'm going to request three ground rules for her." Matt said, walking up to Hiccup.

"Ok, shoot." Hiccup replied "But I'll decide if they should be rules or not."

"So much for compromise." Matt muttered. Shaking his head, he then said "Rule one. She's never armed. She doesn't even carry a knife. Got it?"

"I'll agree to that." Hiccup said with a nod.

"Second. Her dragon stays in one of the stalls. It doesn't walk around or wander."

"Now you're being ridiculous." Hiccup began to say "She'll still want to fly! We're not going to treat her like a prisoner!"

"Let me finish." Matt said, raising his hand "She can still fly her dragon, but it has to be with someone; and whoever she flies with, they have to tell you, me, or Astrid where they're going. That way if she does do something, we'll know where to look. Or at least have an idea."

Hiccup thought of this for a second. Looking out of the doorway, and then back to Matt, he then said "Deal. She'll live by those rules, for your sake."

"No. All of our sakes." Matt corrected, his eyes narrowing "I'm not doing this for me. For all of us. The last thing we need is for her to stab us in the back. Again."

Hiccup just looked at Matt, knowing he was speaking the truth. Shaking his head, he then added "But you're going to apologize to her. For real this time, not that fake pathetic attempt you did earlier."

Matt just glared at Hiccup. Sighing, he said "I'll be real this time, but I'm also going to be truthful."

"Don't say anything that will hurt her." Hiccup warned, motioning for Matt to walk out first.

"I won't." Matt grunted, stepping past Hiccup. Walking out of the doorway, he turned to see Heather still talking to Astrid. This time Astrid had her arms crossed and had an angry look on her face.

"Thank you for letting me stay Astrid…" Heather whispered, looking down at the ground.

"Just know what's at stake." Astrid said, still looking at Heather. Then with a softer facial expression, said "I hope you prove us wrong."

"I will! I promise!" Heather quickly said, looking up at Astrid with a small smile.

"Ah-hem." Hiccup said, getting the two's attention. Seeing Heather look at him, he then said "I'm glad you're staying too, Heather. I am. But you'll have to understand that we want you to live by some specific rules while you're here."

"I figured that would be the case." Heather said, nodding "I'll do whatever you need. Except get rid of Windshear. I won't do that."

"Well, we won't ask you to do that." Hiccup said with a small smile "The first rule is that you're never going to carry a weapon. Even a knife."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Heather said, walking over to Windshear. Pulling her axe off the saddle, she then handed it to Astrid. "Here. I'll have to teach you how I fight with it."

Smiling, Astrid just nodded. Since she saw Heather's axe, she's always wanted to try and fight with it.

"Second, is that Windshear has to stay in a stall while you're here in Dragon's Edge." Hiccup said, stepping closer to Heather.

Shocked, Heather just stared at him. "But, she'll go crazy if I can't ride her! That's not fair to her!"

"Hear me out." Hiccup continued "The third rule is that you can still fly her, but it has to be with someone. Fishlegs, Astrid, me, anyone. She just has to be in the stall while you're here."

"Oh." Heather said, nodding in agreement. "Well, to be honest, that's more than fair to me."

"Thanks for understanding." Hiccup said with a smile. Turning to Matt, he then said "Matt also has something to say."

Heather looked at Matt, her facial expression changing to a sad, almost scared look. Not knowing what he was going to say, she just stared at him, waiting.

Sighing, Matt walked up to her, slowly extending his hand. "Listen, I'm sorry for what I had to do back in that cave. Wish it could have been different." Seeing her slowly reach up and shake his hand, he then added "But remember this. I'm going to be harder to get complete trust from. I'll give you a chance, but only one. If you do anything to hurt Snotlout, Fishlegs, the twins, Astrid, or Hiccup; or any of their dragons, I'll personally hunt you down and make sure you don't see the next sunrise."

Heather just nodded, knowing that Matt was actually being generous.

"But, you prove to me that you're the best friend for these guys, I'll make sure that I'm just as loyal to you as I am to Hiccup." Matt said, squeezing Heather's hand gently. "So, I suggest you do what Astrid said. Prove me wrong."

"I will…" Heather said softly "Thank you Matt."

Matt just nodded, letting go of her hand and taking a step back.

"Now, how about I start gain your trust." Heather said outloud, turning to face Hiccup and the rest of the gang "I think I'll start by telling you all that I learned from Dagur when I stole the Dragon Eye back."

"What do you know?" Hiccup asked, stepping up to Heather with anxiety in his eyes.

"It's about the Black Curtain. The thing that Dagur's making." Heather said, looking over at Hiccup "We need those maps I gave you. Got a room to hang them up in?"

"Right here." Hiccup said, walking to his room "Come on guys!"

Everyone quickly followed Hiccup, with Matt trailing behind them. Watching Snotlout throw an arm around Heather, trying to flirt with her, Matt quietly whispered to himself "One chance Heather. That's all I'm giving you."


	11. Chapter 11

_**Here you go! Chapter 11! Hope you're enjoying the story! This story is turning out to be a lot longer than what I originally planned, which is a good thing! I also hope I'm getting Heather's personality correct in the story, let me know if you guys feel like I'm not. As per usual, enjoy!**_

 **Chapter Eleven: A leap of faith**

"Right, Astrid, help me pin up these maps." Hiccup said, handing a handful of maps to her.

Nodding, she began to slide some of the maps over some nails that were stuck out of the wall. "Are all the maps needed or just a few of them?" Astrid asked out loud, turning to look at Heather.

"It would help if we had all of them up." Heather replied "It'll help us chart a course."

Matt glanced over at Heather, raising an eyebrow out of suspicion "Chart a course? Didn't know we were going somewhere."

"Well, I'm just suggesting that we go somewhere." Heather said, realizing that Matt was still suspecting her of betraying them "I don't know where to, since I've only been to Dagur's dragon prison."

"Where's that at?" Hiccup asked, finishing hanging his maps. Turning to look at her, he then asked "Why does Dagur want dragons anyways?"

"To get you first off." Heather replied, looking at him a little sheepishly "But ultimately conquer Berk."

"Of course he'd want to do that." Hiccup said with a groan, shaking his head. "But what's he doing with them?"

"I was just taking care of them." Heather explained "He didn't tell me what he was planning to do with them, or why he was doing what he was doing."

"Of course he didn't" Matt whispered to himself, making sure that no one could hear him. Leaning against the door of Hiccup's room, he felt something bump it. Turning around, he saw Windshear pushing her head through to see where Heather went. Shaking his head, he then said "I'll take Windshear to the stalls. Put her away for now."

"Oh." Heather said, turning around to see Windshear looking for her "I guess that's the new rule." Walking up to Windshear, she then began to pat her on the nose, saying "Go with Matt Windshear. He'll take you to our new room."

"You don't have sleep in the stalls!" Hiccup said, looking at Heather with concern.

"I need to stay with Windshear. I'd like to at least." Heather replied. Looking over at Matt, she then added "If that's allowed I mean."

Matt just frowned, knowing she was testing his patience. Sighing, he then opened up the door wider and slipped past Windshear "That's going to be Hiccup's call. Not mine." Walking up the ramp to the Dragon Hanger, he then said "Wasatch! Where you at? We need to give up our stall."

"Go on girl." Heather said, gently pushing Windshear to follow Matt "I'll be up in a second."

"Sorry Heather, but those rules were the only way to make Matt happy." Hiccup said, watching Matt disappear in the hanger.

"It's alright." Heather replied, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice "I deserve much worse than this."

"No you don't." Hiccup cut in, resting his hand on her shoulder "You're our friend who made a mistake. Whether you believe me or not, we've forgiven you!"

"Thanks Hiccup." Heather whispered, putting on a small smile "That means a lot to me right now."

"Give Matt some time. He'll come around." Hiccup added, reassuring her "He's just being a little cautious."

"I don't blame him. I didn't treat him the greatest." Heather confessed, looking down slightly "I…I was-"

"Heather. What's done is done." Hiccup interrupted, gently shaking her "Come on. Tells us what you learned, and what you're planning."

Smiling a little wider, Heather turned to look up at the maps. "Can I get a pencil or something?" she asked, pulling out a folded, hidden map from her pouch.

Surprised to see the map, Hiccup just nodded and handed her a pencil that lay on his desk.

Heather grabbed it as she laid down the map on the desk. The rest of the gang circled around her and Hiccup as she began to explain the map. "This is a rough sketch of a map that I made. It's not entirely accurate, but should give us an idea of where the Dagur's been, and where he goes."

The map was indeed a rough sketch. Islands were just circles, not scaled or detailed. Some of the islands had x's in them. Hiccup just stared at the map, trying to contain himself in correcting what he saw.

"Each island with an x in it is what Dagur discovered from the Dragon Eye." Heather began to say, pointing to the maps that were hanging on the wall. "These were islands that he wanted to hit next."

"Ok, to get more dragons." Hiccup said, understanding the reason.

"Exactly." Heather replied "But the islands that don't have an x, are ones that he already hit. All the dragons we captured, we took to this island." Pointing to an island in the corner of map, she then explained "This was where I stayed when we weren't finding dragons. I took care of them."

"So where did Dagur go?" Astrid cut in, looking at the map.

"Let me get to that." Heather said with some excitement in her voice "Every single dragon island we raided, we took them my island right?"

"That's what you've been telling us." Hiccup said, looking at Heather with a serious look.

"Except this island." Heather said, pointing to an island on the opposite side of the map. "That island, Dagur took those dragons and when we split up, he went north." Pointing to the top right corner of the map, exact opposite of where Heather stayed, she added "Now look at the islands with the x's in them."

Astrid was the first to see what Heather was talking about. "They're all near where Dagur went to."

"Exactly!" Heather said with a smile "And I went back to see where Dagur left to go after every island we raided. They all show him heading towards that direction!"

"So that would be our bet in finding Dagur." Hiccup said, nodding at the new information. Looking up at Heather, he then asked "What kind of dragons did Dagur take with him? If we know that, we might be able to piece together what he's planning."

Heather looked down, obviously embarrassed. Hesitating for a few seconds, she then said "I don't know. They weren't any that I've seen before." Looking up at Hiccup apologetically, she then explained "I don't know dragon exactly like you guys. I've only trained Windshear."

"Maybe the Dragon Eye can help us out." Fishlegs suggested, stepping closer to Hiccup and Heather "Do you think you could tell us what kind of dragon they were? Like Boulder, Strike, or Mystery Class?"

"It was a water dragon." Heather answered "The island was a series of smaller islands. It had multiple pools where the dragons like to stay in. They were really skittish though. More than any other dragon I've seen. We were only able to capture a few because the rest flew or swam away faster than we could chase."

"Hiccup, look under Tidal Class." Fishlegs said, getting excited with the chance that they would be learning about a new dragon.

"Hold on Fishlegs, I got to go get Toothless." Hiccup replied, laughing at Fishlegs' excitement "I'll be right back!" Running out of the door, Hiccup quickly called out "Toothless! Come here bud!"

"He's playing with Wasatch." Matt's voice called above him.

Hiccup quickly looked up to see Matt sitting on the edge of the deck on the hanger. Now wearing his snowboard coat and goggles, he now looked like the snowboarder everyone knew. Swinging his feet lazily, Matt put on a small smile as Hiccup stared at him "Forgot I was still out here?"

"Why didn't you come in? We've learned a lot!" Hiccup said loudly, walking up the ramp to talk to Matt.

"I figured you'd fill me in." Matt answered, scooting over to let Hiccup sit next to him.

"Want to come see us work with the Dragon Eye? See how it works?" Hiccup asked, taking a seat next to Matt "Come on, you're part of the team now!"

"I think you know the real reason why I chose to stay out here." Matt said, looking up at the blue sky.

Hiccup didn't say anything for a second. Looking at Matt with concern, he then asked "Why are you having such a hard time with Heather? It's more than just trusting her isn't it?"

"It's what she did Hiccup." Matt whispered, pulling his goggles off his eyes. "I know your world's different from mine Hiccup, but where I'm from, you don't give people second chances. A second chance is just asking to be burned again."

"How do you get stuff done then?" Hiccup asked "Everyone makes mistakes."

"That's my culture. Don't make mistakes." Matt answered "If you fail, you have a harder time getting back up. If you can get back up." Looking at Hiccup in the eye, he then added "It's not that I don't believe her Hiccup, I actually do! I believed her when she was telling me everything when I escaped from her. I just don't trust her. You're giving her the power to stab us in the back. And if she's doing what I think she's doing, telling you where Dagur is, that just puts her in a position to deliver us to Dagur's traps."

"Matt, she made a few mistakes. I can't argue that." Hiccup replied, shaking his head "But you of all people have the best, untainted relationship with her. She did capture you, and forced you to, ah-hem, Find the Mighty Wasatch!" He made his voice deepen, to add to the memory of how they lied to her, causing Matt to chuckle at the jest. Then returning to a serious tone, explained "She never betrayed you. She never lied to you. You of all people here, should be the one trusting her the most!"

"The thing is Hiccup." Matt began to say "Is that I have to play it safe. Have you ever asked 'what if?' What if she does betray you? Will you be a position to comeback from the betrayal? Or are you going to be in a situation like how I found you and Astrid?"

Hiccup didn't say anything. He knew Matt was right about his reasoning, he just wish it didn't have to be him.

"Listen Hiccup, you and the gang were the ones who put me in this position." Matt began to say, only see a questionable look on Hiccup's face. "Ok, I chose to be in this position. But you do understand that you guys aren't making it easier for me. I don't want to be blindsided by her like you guys were. Multiple times."

"I understand." Hiccup said, nodding in agreement "I do Matt. But how about you come down with me to at least try to learn to trust her. I mean, you told her yourself that you'd try."

"I know." Matt sighed, looking up at the ocean "Fine, I'll come with you."

"Great!" Hiccup said with a relief "Come on, we need to grab Wasatch and Toothless first."

"Why? Why were you looking for Toothless in the first place?" Matt asked, standing up with Hiccup.

"To light the Dragon Eye. A dragon flame does it best." Hiccup explained, walking down the ramp.

"How about we try my flashlight?" Matt asked, walking over to where his backpack lay with his snowboard. Opening a pouch, he then pulled out his small LED flashlight. "Wanna see if it works?"

"I guess. Since our dragons are obviously too busy to help us." Hiccup answered sarcastically, looking off the edge of the platform to see Toothless and Wasatch rolling in the snow.

Laughing, Matt gently pushed Hiccup towards his room, following him closely "Come on Hiccup, let's see how this Dragon Eye works."

Smiling, Hiccup pushed open the door to see everyone sitting and talking with each other. Heather was covering her ears as Snotlout continued to talk about his adventures of testing Gobber's weapons before Dragon's Edge was founded. Seeing Hiccup and Matt walk in, she quickly looked away from Matt.

"Say something to her." Hiccup whispered, nudging Matt with his elbow.

"Serious?" Matt whispered back "It's just as awkward for me as it is her!"

"Matt. You said you were going to try!" Hiccup shot back, looking away from him. "Got the Dragon Eye? Matt's going to try something to see if we don't need a dragon to light it."

"How?" Astrid asked, looking at Matt with curiosity "Don't tell me you learned how to breathe fire."

"I wish. I have a hand held light." Matt said with a smile "Brighter than a torch or candle." Looking at Heather, who was still looking at the ground, he sighed and reluctantly asked "Wanna give it a try Heather?"

Heather's head shot up, looking at Matt with confusion. "Wait, me?"

"It's Heather isn't it?" Matt followed up with. Holding his flashlight out, he gestured for her to take it. "Don't worry, it's just like my goggles. It doesn't bite."

"No, it's not that; it's just, you're asking me?" Heather stuttered out, slowly and awkwardly reaching for the flashlight.

"I am." Matt replied simply. Seeing her grab the light, he then said "Push the button on the back. It'll turn the light on."

Nodding in understanding, she looked at the black button and pushed it. A white light shot out, blinding Matt in the eyes.

"Gah!" he shouted, covering his eyes and stumbling backwards. Over stepping with his bad leg, it then shot a sharp pain up his leg causing him to fall onto the floor.

"What did I do!?" Heather shouted, frantically looking back and forth between Matt and the bright light.

"You're good!" Matt grunted, rolling to his side "Forgot to tell you not to shine that in people's eyes."

"I'm so sorry!" Heather said, thinking she blew it with Matt already.

"Oh please. My friends back home shine lasers at me all the time. This isn't anything." Matt laughed, letting Snotlout and Astrid help him up. Standing up, making sure his leg was doing alright, he then looked up at Hiccup and asked "Where's your Dragon Eye?"

Glad that Matt wasn't mad, Hiccup then grabbed the Dragon Eye sitting on the table "Here! Try shining that light through the hole in the bottom."

Heather reached and grabbed the Dragon Eye. Looking at it with curiosity, she then shown the light through. Suddenly, the room changed from white to a green color. The Dragon Eye shown its information on a Whispering Death on the wall. "It works!" She cried out, smiling at Hiccup and the others. "Whatever this thing is, it's lighting up the Dragon Eye!"

"Perfect! Let's see if we can't find our mystery Tidal Class dragon." Hiccup said, taking a seat near Heather.

"Why are we looking for a Tidal Class dragon?" Matt asked, letting himself lean against the back wall with Astrid.

"Forgot you were outside when we talked about this." Hiccup said with a smile "Here's the short story. Dagur is capturing dragons and taking them to an island where Heather was. All except for a specific Tidal Class dragon."

"We think we figured out where his home base is." Heather quickly said, turning to face Matt "But if we learn why he wanted that specific dragon, then we might be able to figure out what he's planning."

"He still never told you? Even after he said that he trusted you?" Matt asked, raising an eyebrow in concern.

See that Matt was still a little stand-offish, Heather slowly let her smile disappear. "No he didn't. I guess I told you too much and was put back down the ladder of leadership." Shaking her head, she then added "Took me a bit of digging, but I know he's making something. That thing called The Black Curtain."

Matt just nodded, to show her that he believed her; though in his heart he was still holding onto his doubts.

"Ok, let's see what we have here." Hiccup began to say "Heather, tell me if you see anything familiar."

"Sounds good." Heather replied, turning to watch the image change as Hiccup started to press buttons.

Matt just stared at the two, trying to make sense of what was going on. Especially with Heather.

"You still don't believe her? Do you" Astrid whispered, sliding closer to Matt.

"I believe her. It's trusting her that's hard." Matt replied quietly, slightly looking down "Is it still obvious?"

"A little bit. Yeah." She answered calmly "It was hard for me too, but I also know her better than you. I can tell when she's being sincere and real."

"Yeah, about that…" Matt began to say "Did you really forgive and forget just like that?"

"I didn't forget." Astrid replied quietly "I won't forget. But the thing that helped me forgive her, was that she's going to live with that regret the rest of her life. She already feels guilty enough. My anger and resentment wouldn't help her at all."

Matt thought about what she said for a moment. Turning to watch Heather point at something at a new image that was projected, he then quietly asked "But what if she does backstab us? What if she is still working for Dagur?"

Astrid didn't say anything for a second. Turning to watch Hiccup and Heather continue to mess with the Dragon Eye, she then answered "I guess I don't know if she will. I can't know that for sure." Looking over Matt, who was having a concerned expression growing on his face, she then quickly added "But to be honest, I didn't know that I could trust you when I first met you."

Surprised, Matt then asked "Can I ask why?"

"You were new. You pretty much came out of nowhere, and you had a bunch of images of dragons on you." Astrid began to explain with a smile growing on her face "I honestly thought you were part of the Outcasts. I didn't even want Hiccup to tell you about The Dragon Book. I tried to give him a death glare when he started to talk to you about it."

"So you thought I was making up the fact that I was from a completely different time period and was related to Hiccup?" Matt asked, a smile growing on his face.

"Would you have believed it if it was the other way around?" Astrid asked, her smile broadening.

"Probably not." Matt said with a wide smile of his own. Shaking his head, he then said "I guess I'm glad that you do trust me now."

"Because I know you." Astrid explained "I know that you will do anything to help me. Or any of us." Looking at Heather, who was trying to read something on a new image, she then added "I know Heather. On a personal level. We got…close to each other a few months ago. While she is reckless, and impulsive with her choices, I know what she treasures the most."

"What's that?" Matt asked, also turning to look at Heather and Hiccup.

"Those that care about her." Astrid answered, not bothering to look at Matt's reaction.

"But…didn't she leave that to join her brother?" Matt quizzed, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course." Astrid replied simply "But think about this. I don't even want you to answer it. Who was she more concerned with when she was taking you to find Wasatch? Dagur? Or us?"

Matt went back in time as he thought about it. It was true. She would only talk about Hiccup and Astrid when he was asking her questions. On top of that, she begged to help him get them back when he overpowered her; not for her own life.

Seeing his eyebrows furrow, Astrid them lightly threw her arm around his shoulder and leaned against him "You see Matt. In a way, she's just like you. Thinking of others and not herself."

Matt quickly glanced up at Astrid, shocked at what she said.

"Give her a chance. Try to get to know her." Astrid whispered, smiling at him "Who knows? You two might be best of friends!"

"Don't hold your breath." Matt huffed, glancing away from Astrid. Then, letting out a deep breath, returned to look at her. "Thanks Astrid. And I will. I'll try to…get to know her."

"I'm just repaying the favor." Astrid said with a laugh. Then with a more serious look, explained "I've been thinking a lot about what you've said. With what really makes me happy…"

"Oh?" Matt replied, his interest perked at this.

"No details yet," she warned, looking at him as if not to push it "But it has helped me really prioritize my expectations."

Smiling, Matt then said "No problem Astrid. Glad I could help." Then with a laugh, said "But we're not even yet! You still owe me for saving your butt!"

Groaning, she just shook her head and smiled "Give me time Matt, I'm sure I'll be repaying the favor somehow."

"No rush!" Matt chirped back, lightly elbowing her in the side "I'm liking having something to gloat over you!"

"Would you like your other leg slashed?" Astrid warned, eyeing him dangerously.

"Nope! I'll drop the subject!" Matt quickly said, smiling at the threat. Looking back at Hiccup, he then teased him by saying "Oi! Hiccup! What's taking you guys so long? Can't you see we're still waiting?"

"Oh, I can see that." Hiccup replied, turning to Matt with a smile "While Heather and I work; why don't you and Astrid go clean the stalls? Since Gustav left earlier this day!"

Astrid then elbowed Matt in the side, obviously angry with what happened.

"I got a better idea." Matt said with a smile, walking up to Hiccup "Why don't you and Astrid go for a relaxing flight. I'll help Heather hear identify our mystery dragon.

Shocked, both Hiccup and Heather looked at Matt in complete confusion.

"Don't worry, I won't break the Dragon Eye." Matt assured, grabbing and pulling Hiccup onto his feet.

"Aren't you nervous to be with me alone? Again?" Heather asked, still staring at Matt.

"Are you armed?" Matt asked, looking down at her.

"No." She replied quietly.

"Then we're good." Matt said with a smile. Turning to Hiccup he then whispered "Listen, I'm trying to get to know her. It's a good thing ok?"

Realizing what Matt was doing, Hiccup then nodded in acknowledgement. Turning to Heather, he then said "You know how to change the images, just keep looking. Astrid and I will be back after we go for a ride."

"Oh, ok." Heather answered, looking over at Matt nervously as he took Hiccup's seat.

"Send one of the other guys if you find anything." Hiccup added, pushing Fishlegs and Snotlout out of the room, while Astrid dragged the twins away.

"What? Why does Matt get to stay with her alone?" Snotlout whined, being pushed out.

Seeing the door shut, Matt turned to see Heather looking away from him. Sighing, he then said "Listen. I stand by what I said earlier. I don't want you to hurt anyone."

Heather just nodded, getting tired of hearing the same thing.

"But I didn't tell you this." Matt added, watching her head perk up a little. "I want to trust you. I really do. I just need a good reason to do so. Can you do that for me?"

Looking up at Matt, Heather just stared at him. Seeing that he was being sincere, she then slowly nodded in agreement. "If that's the case, we better get to work and find that dragon."


	12. Chapter 12

_**Hope you enjoy this chapter. Please let me know if anyone feels that I'm having the characters, well, act out of character. Or any other advice!**_

 **Chapter Twelve: Stepping forward**

"Ugh…" Matt groaned, sitting back in his seat "We've been at this for hours! Maybe the Dragon Eye doesn't even have information on the dragon." After trying all kinds of combinations of buttons, dial, and even trying a different colored light; there was nothing that looked familiar to Heather.

Heather just nodded, blankly staring at the image of a Thunderdrum. Rubbing her bloodshot eyes, she then said "You know, we could just assume Dagur took the dragons just to kill. Maybe he thought they were useless or something. Or even just wanted to have his own kind of fun. He's evil like that."

"I really don't think so." Matt quickly replied "There has to be a reason why he brought that specific kind of dragon with him."

Heather didn't say anything. Slightly looking down, she just shook her head and let out a long sigh. "I wish I knew what the dragon was called. It was really interesting just to watch it!"

"How so?" Matt asked, leaning his chair on its two back legs.

"It didn't just swim. It kind of looked like it danced in the water." Heather began to explain "It was really elegant in all of its turns and such. I wish I could have watched it more, but when they noticed us, they scattered."

"You mentioned they were skittish right?" Matt asked again, looking at Heather curiously.

"Yeah, very much so. We were only able to get a few of them." Heather confirmed, nodding her head.

"Hmm…" Matt said stroking his chin as he turned to look at the maps all hanging around the room. "On this island right?" he asked, pointing to the map that had all the islands charted.

"Yeah, and then Dagur took them up north." Heather said with a nod of her head. Standing up, she then said "And after all the dragon islands we raided, he went back in the same direction." Pointing to some lines she drew, she then said "See. All lead to this area."

Looking at the map, Matt thought about this for a second, to which he quickly leaned forward and began to press the buttons wildly. "Hey, bring that map down here."

"What's going on? Got an idea?" Heather asked, watching what Matt was doing. Pulling the map down, she then asked "Something to do with the mystery dragon?"

"No. The Dragon Eye. I think that there's a pattern in it. One that we couldn't really notice." Matt explained, setting the dials back to the original position. Lighting it up again, he looked up to see a Terrible Terror projected on the wall. "What island did you get these dragons from?" he asked, looking up at Heather.

Looking at the map, she pointed to an island on the far left side of the map. Exactly under the island she stayed at.

"Ok…" Matt whispered, pushing a button. An image of a Zippleback appeared, making Matt ask "What island did you get these guys?"

"Uh…this one!" Heather exclaimed, pointing to an island near the previous one. "What are you thinking?"

"One more island. Just to confirm if I am onto something." Matt replied, pushing two buttons this time. A Monstrous Nightmare appeared this time.

"We got those on two islands." Heather said, pointing to them on the map. Located on the bottom left, she then said "Not close to the others at all."

"No, but in the same section of the map." Matt observed. Using his finger, he drew an imaginary line and said "The dial on the Dragon Eye, is how it breaks the world into sections. Like how we used different maps to be more specific about the islands."

"Ok, but I'm still not seeing your point." Heather said, looking at him with confusion.

"The buttons tell us what dragons are in each section." Matt continued to explain. Twisting the dial, an image of a dragon that looked like a Deadly Nadder, but was rounder and a little smaller, appeared.

"Oh! That one!" Heather exclaimed "That was here. On this island."

This time on the right side of the map, Matt then pressed another button. The image then turned into a four-headed dragon.

"Ugh…those things." Heather grunted, looking up at the picture "Gave us such a hard time."

"Where was it?" Matt asked, staring at the map intently.

Looking down, Heather pointed to another island on the bottom right side of the map. Seeing that it was still aligning with the pattern Matt suggested, she looked up at him with a shocked expression.

"Perfect." Matt whispered, a smile growing on his face. "In the same section. Just like the others."

"Matt…how'd you notice that!?" Heather asked, gaping at him.

"Because of you actually." Matt replied, leaning back in his chair a second time; this time with a smug grin on his face "When you pointed out the how Dagur went in the same direction, I saw the fold lines. It looked like it cut it out in sections." Turning to the Dragon Eye, he then said "Whoever made this thing, they were organized. So it only made sense that they would do something like this."

Smiling at Matt, Heather just shook her head. "That's incredible Matt. It really is. This'll help narrow the search down a bit!"

Matt also smiled, looking at her with satisfaction "Just wish I figured it out sooner. Wouldn't have wasted so much time randomly pressing buttons and turning the dial!"

Laughing, Heather just said "Where's the fun in that? Didn't you enjoy mindlessly looking up at the images and pressing buttons?"

"Not as much as you'd think." He replied while shaking his head. Looking up at her, he was able to see her, for the first time, happy. Her wide, slightly crooked smile and bright green eyes only added to the happy expression on her face. She boasted a confident, almost arrogant look. Similar to Astrid's personality.

Heather noticed Matt staring at her, causing her to quickly look down and away.

Realizing what he was doing, he did the same, dropping his chair down on all four legs.

"Uh…good job. You know. On figuring that out." Heather quietly said, trying to say something over the incredibly awkward situation that just happened.

"Thanks." Matt replied sheepishly. Rubbing the back of his head, he then said "How 'bout we try again? Now that we have less combinations to try."

"Yeah, that sounds good." Heather replied, scooting her chair closer to the Dragon Eye, trying to get rid of the awkward feeling around them. Pressing two buttons, they both looked up to see the image change. "That's not it." she said, staring at the image.

"I'd of been really surprised if it was the first image we saw." Matt quickly replied, this time rubbing his bloodshot eyes.

"Hey Matt," Heather began to say, slowly looking at him "I just wanted to say…thanks. Thanks for not giving up on me. I know you didn't want to help me when I first got here."

Matt didn't say anything at first. To be honest, he wouldn't have done anything to help her if he hadn't talked to both Hiccup and Astrid. Shrugging, he then forced a smile and said "I just think of it paying it forward. Hiccup and his friends helped me when I first met them."

Heather just continued to look at him, as if unsure about something. Seeing her hesitant look, Matt then explained "I met them for the first time three years ago. I was sixteen."

"Where?" She asked, feeling a little more comfortable.

"Berk. You can say I dropped by." Matt explained, remembering the first time he saw Hiccup and Toothless. Smiling slightly, he then added "It was a real culture shock when I saw their dragons. And when I learned who Hiccup was."

"Why did that surprise you?" she asked, looking at him with confusion "I mean, I understand the whole seeing trained dragons, but why of Hiccup?"

Realizing what he said, and not really wanting to tell her where he was from, he just shrugged and said "When I learned who he was, I was just unprepared." Smiling he then said "I mean, when you hear about someone who trained a Night Fury, you don't expect the person to be a stick." Looking up at the image, he then added "He helped me train my dragon, Wasatch. Well, actually, he taught me how to train a dragon. Alvin gave me the opportunity to train him."

"Alvin!?" Heather exclaimed, looking at Matt in surprise "You've dealt with Alvin?"

"Yeah. It was something else." Matt answered with a grin.

"Do you mind telling me what happened?" she asked sheepishly, not sure if that was something alright to ask about.

"No, I don't mind. In fact, I think you'd be one of the few to really understand what happened." He replied with a small smile growing on his face.

"What do you mean?" she asked in confusion.

"Hiccup told me that you also have an experience with Alvin. He forced you to get the Dragon Book right?" Matt answered, turning to look at her.

Heather just nodded, feeling guilty about talking about the first time she betrayed Hiccup and the others.

"Well, to make a short story out of what happened to me," Matt began to say, relaxing in his chair "When I was last visiting, Hiccup was captured by Alvin. However, Alvin still needed the Dragon Book, so I exchanged it for Hiccup."

"I'm guessing there's more to the story. Am I right?" Heather asked, looking at Matt intently.

Nodding, he then expounded "You see, the book I gave Alvin was a fake. Which he didn't really take too kindly with that." Casting his mind back three years ago, he slightly shook his head. He had no idea where he got the courage to do what he did; but since then, he's been bolder ever since. "As I was escaping, I basically snowboarded right to their ship and was captured. Alvin told Hiccup that he had a few days to bring him the book or I was done. And so my vacation to Outcast Island happened."

"Great, bet you loved it there." Heather huffed sarcastically.

"Heh, it is a lovely place isn't it." Matt replied, equally sarcastic "I heard you had quite the experience with Alvin as well."

"I did. I'm just glad that it's over. Though I still seem to be in a nightmare…" Heather answered, sighing as she remembered her experience with Alvin and the Outcasts. Looking back at Matt, she then said "Sorry for interrupting, please keep going!"

Nodding with a small smile, Matt then continued "Alvin never had the intention of letting me go. Well, alive at least; so he threw me in an arena with a wild Skrill."

"Wasatch." Heather whispered, putting the story together.

"Yup." He confirmed "Though Hiccup and Astrid gave me tips on how to train dragons, I accidently learned how to with Wasatch."

"How did you?" she asked, looking at Matt with growing interest.

"Tell you what." Matt said with a small smile "Keep your word on helping Hiccup and the others, and I'll tell you the rest of my story. Deal?"

Bummed that he wasn't going to tell her more, she could only nod in agreement. "I guess. Deal."

Nodding, Matt then pressed two buttons on the Dragon Eye. "We better see what we can come up with on this thing. See if it's a dead end or not."

"Fine. I guess we had a long enough break." Heather huffed, returning her gaze up to the light. Not recognizing the dragon, she just said "Next."

"What did it look like?" Matt asked, pressing another button.

Thinking for a second, Heather then said "It's long and skinny. The tail is flat and large, almost like a fan at the end of it."

"Did it have fins instead of legs?" Matt asked, interrupting her.

"Yeah! How'd yo-" Heather asked in surprise.

"And a long snout for a nose?" Matt continued, turning to look at Heather.

Shocked, she looked up at the image. To her surprise, she saw the very dragon! "That's it! That's exactly what it is!"

Matt let out a long sigh, collapsing in his chair. "Whew! Glad we got that done."

"I wish we could read this text." Heather said, standing up and walking closer to the image.

"We can find someone who can though!" Matt said with a smile. Standing up, he then grabbed the Dragon Eye. "How 'bout we go find Hiccup for ourselves. Bring that map. We'll need it to show them the pattern we discovered."

"Wait. You trust me enough to ride with me?" Heather asked, turning quickly and staring at Matt.

Matt slowly turned to face her, with a concerned look. "Is there a reason why I shouldn't?"

"No! It's just…" Heather stuttered. Sighing, she looked down and said "It's just that you're not acting like you were earlier today. You went from not wanting to even look at me, to doing everything with me." Looking up at Matt, she then added "I'm just confused with trying to understand you."

Seeing that she was legitimately different from when he first met her, when he was tied up and riding on Windshear; Matt let a small smile grow on his face "I told you Heather. I want to trust you. I can't do that by just hiding and waiting for opportunities." With that, he pushed open the door and added "The more I do stuff with you, the easier I'll be able to trust you if I need to depend on you."

Heather just looked at Matt, surprised by his reasoning. Finally, after thinking about what he said, she lightly smiled and said "Thanks Matt. That means a lot to me. Especially from you."

Nodding in acknowledgement, he then said "Come on. I'm sure Wasatch would like to meet you and Windshear. At least in a more friendly way than last time."

"Wasatch. That's a unique name. What's it supposed to mean?" Heather asked, walking past Matt.

"That's a whole other conversation." Matt chuckled, walking with Heather. "Let's take my story a day at a time ok?"

* * *

"What do you really think Hiccup?" Astrid asked, looking over at him with concern. They spent most of the afternoon flying their dragons around their island, but hardly talked to each other. Now, letting their dragon's rest at a pond, with a stream running through it, they were both sitting on the bank of it; enjoying the cool crisp air.

"Hmm? What?" Hiccup quickly said, turning his attentions from the water to Astrid.

"Heather. Do you really think she's changed?" Astrid asked again, looking at him with concern. Pulling her knees closer to her chest, she then added "I want to believe that she's changed, but Matt raises a good point. We can't afford to be blindsided by her again."

"I know." Hiccup said quietly, returning his attention to the pond. Toothless was busy trying to stalk the fish that were lazily swimming in it by creeping up on the ice that froze partially over the pond, while Stormfly was napping in the sun next to the riders. "But to be honest, I don't think she's changed. Not her heart at least." Looking back over at Astrid, he explained "That's actually why I think I can trust her again. She's still that same person we met three years ago. She still cares about those she loves. If anything, I'd be more worried if she did change."

Astrid looked at him in the eyes, still written with concern. Finally, after staring at him for a few minutes, she let out a long sigh and said "I hope your right about this one Hiccup. I don't think we'll be as lucky in getting free as we were last time."

"That's honestly my hope as well." Hiccup said with a straight face. Turning back to the pond, he then asked out loud "How do you think Heather and Matt are doing?"

"I couldn't guess." Astrid replied, letting herself relax a little more. Extending one leg out, she began to draw in the snow with her boot. "I know Matt's giving it an honest effort, but Heather still seemed a little…"

"Nervous?" Hiccup tried to finish.

"Reserved." Astrid corrected "It has to be just as awkward for her as it is him. Probably even more so."

"Maybe we should go check on them." Hiccup suggested "It's been a few hours. I guess we can see if they figured something out, or ended up burning the place down while fighting each other."

"Or neither." Astrid said, looking up in the sky. Pointing, she then laughed "They're flying at us right now!"

Hiccup looked up in shock as he saw both Matt and Heather on their dragons and heading right for them. Seeing them land next to Toothless, who was happy to see them, Hiccup then ran to where they landed.

Heather jumped off Windshear with a huge smile. "We found it! We found the dragon that Dagur took!"

"And something helpful with the Dragon Eye." Matt threw in, unstrapping himself from his bindings. Gently stepping off of Wasatch, he then said "Thought you'd like to see what we discovered!"

"Of course! Show us!" Hiccup said excitedly.

"Wasatch, give me a light would ya'?" Matt asked, pulling out the Dragon Eye.

Wasatch then began to radiate lightning over his body, illuminating himself in a blue color. Opening his mouth, a blue light emerged and lit the Dragon Eye. The image appeared all distorted, since it wasn't on a flat surface.

"Shine it on this." Hiccup suggested, pointing to a large boulder. "It's not flat, but it'll at least give us the important information we need."

Obeying, Matt shone it on the boulder. Holding it still, he then said "We were wondering what it was called. And since neither of us can read it, we decided to take it to you."

"Heh, well, I'm not the best with the text here. That's Fishlegs' job." Hiccup explained, looking at the projection "But I'll see what I can do."

Astrid at this point, walked up to Heather, letting Hiccup and Matt tinker with the Dragon Eye. "So, finally found it?" she asked.

"Yeah, took us hours! But Matt got a genius idea. Found out how the Dragon Eye was organized. It was honestly the only way we were able to find it!" Heather explained, looking at Astrid with relief flooding her face.

Smiling, Astrid then quietly asked "How was it with Matt?"

"Confusing." She replied, equally quiet "But I think we're at a point where we want to work with each other and try to put past with what happened. I think."

"Good. We were wondering how it was going with you two." Astrid said with a smile.

"Has Matt always been this tough?" Heather asked, looking at Astrid.

Sighing, Astrid turned to watch Matt and Hiccup working on the projection. "I don't know. This is only the second time we've really seen him."

"Really!? He acts like he's been around you guys forever!" Heather replied in shock "You, Hiccup, everyone acts like he's been part of your guy's lives! Even your dragons love him!"

"It's what he did when he was last here." Astrid explained, turning slowly to her "What has he told you?"

"Only that he essentially traded places with Hiccup in being captured. And that was where he met Wasatch for the first time." Heather answered "Other than that, he didn't explain much of anything."

"Probably because he's still getting used to you." Astrid said with a small smile "He's got quite the story."

"Anything that you could tell me about him?" Heather asked, looking at her with a hopeful look.

Shaking her head, Astrid just smiled and said "I think it'd be best if you asked him. But I will say that he and Hiccup are close. Like brothers."

Heather just nodded. Looking up at Matt and Hiccup, she whispered "I hope he can trust me enough to tell me what happened."

"Hey Heather." Matt said out loud, turning to face the two girls "Mind getting that map out? Let's show Hiccup what we found out."

"Sure! Here you go!" Heather said with a smile, walking up to Matt. Pulling out the folded paper, she turned to see Hiccup staring intently at the text. "Can you make anything out?" she asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Just the name." Hiccup replied simply. Turning to Heather with a smile, he then said "It's called a Tide Glider. I'll have to have Fishlegs read the rest of what it says when we head back."

Heather smiled, finally able to put a name to the dragon. "Tide Glider huh? I guess that's a good description. It was so graceful when it swam."

Smiling at Heather, Hiccup then turned to Matt, who was kneeling down at the Dragon Eye. "Alright Matt, show me what you came up with."

Reaching for the map, he then said "So, while I was looking at the map that Heather provided us, I noticed that the fold lines kind of cut the map into sections."

"Yeah, I see that." Hiccup confirmed, nodding in agreement.

"So, maybe not in exact sections as the map," Matt continued, pointing to the island where Heather found the Tide Glider's "I learned that the Dragon Eye is organized by sections as well. Look. Here is where the Tide Gliders were." At that, he pressed a combination of buttons and let the new image appear of the four headed dragon.

"A Snap Trapper." Hiccup observed, looking at the image.

"Found here!" Heather cut in, excited about Matt's discovery. Pointing to an island near the Tide Glider island, she said "I found those dragons here!"

"Ok…" Hiccup said "By chance maybe?"

"Hold up a second before you say that." Matt interrupted, twisting the dial on the dragon eye to reveal the image of the Monstrous Nightmare. "Look here. See the Nightmare? Heather found them on these two islands. Completely opposite area from the last two dragons."

"But, you check out the Terrible Terrors." Heather said, finishing Matt's thought. Pressing the buttons, she then pointed to the island on the map. "Just a little north of the two islands, but in the same section as the Nightmares!"

"How did you see that Matt!?" Hiccup asked in amazement.

"Heather gave me the idea. I just followed the hunch." Matt said with a smile. Turning to Astrid, he then said "Not as worthless as I thought I was huh?"

"You were never worthless Matt." Astrid corrected, smiling at the new energy that was radiating among them. "Still can't fight, but you were never worthless."

"This changes everything." Hiccup said, sitting himself down in the snow "Now we can actually have an organized expedition!"

"This is great and all." Astrid said, interrupting Hiccup "But now that we know what dragon Dagur has, shouldn't we be trying to figure out what he's doing with it?"

"I have to agree with Astrid." Heather affirmed "We figured out a few things, cool things mind you, but what do we do now?"

Matt stood up from where he was kneeling. Handing the Dragon Eye to Hiccup, he then said "Well, we know a little bit about Dagur. He's kept a single kind of dragon to himself. The rest he's put on a separate island."

"And we have a general idea on where he is." Heather threw in, also looking at Hiccup.

Hiccup didn't say anything right away. Instead, he looked at the map. Slowly, he started to nod, as if something was starting to make sense. Looking up at the three from his seat, he then said "I think our main priority now, should be getting those dragons from where Heather was. I'd feel better knowing that Dagur didn't have hundreds of dragons to hold hostage against us."

"That…might be harder than it sounds." Heather quietly said, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"Why?" Astrid asked, raising an eyebrow. Matt too looked at Heather with concern, wondering how hard it would be to go off of her word on what they would be facing.

"They dragon proofed that small fort." Heather began to explain "It isn't very big, mainly just a single building surrounded by lots of cages and pits with metal bars over them."

"Sounds hospitable." Matt huffed, slightly shaking his head at the image that he was making.

Guilt stricken, Heather looked down from the three and explained "I made sure I took care of the dragons, but Dagur put his men in charge of security. They have catapults with nets lined around the fort, ready to take down any dragon. On top of that, they have their chain launchers spread throughout the fort. He wanted to make sure he could bring you guys down if you ever showed up."

Hiccup just nodded in understanding, resting his hand on his chin. Matt also looked like he was thinking about something, though with a little more confused look. Astrid just turned and looked at Hiccup, wondering what he was thinking.

Matt then turned to Heather and asked "Since I'm new here; well, newer here. What do you mean dragon proof? Like no dragon can get in? Or out in this case?"

"No, like dragons can't burn or break anything." Heather answered. Motioning to Hiccup, she then said "Hiccup's had a few experiences with that kind of stuff."

Looking up at Heather, Hiccup forced a small smile "Yeah that was a scary moment. I had a flash of worry that I wouldn't be able to save you."

"You'll have to tell me the story after we discuss this." Matt said with a nod. Turning around, he watched the four dragons playing around. Toothless was running back and forth, sliding on the ice on the pond. "So…they have chains too. I'm guessing the chains are dragon proof too?"

"Yup. Dagur got all the resources he needed off that old ship. The one call The Reaper." Heather further expounded "Gave him quite a dragon fighting arsenal."

"…Perfect…" Matt whispered, not taking his eyes off the dragons and a smile growing on his face.

"What are you thinking Matt?" Astrid asked, seeing that he was getting an idea.

"Well…I'm sure you guys know this." Matt began to say, returning his gaze back to them "But correct me if I'm wrong; lightning isn't really fire right? Like regular dragon fire?"

"No…" Hiccup said slowly, trying to figure out what Matt was saying.

"Do you guys know how lightning behaves?" he asked, looking over at Heather and Astrid "Or even know what electricity is?"

"Yeah we know about electricity." Astrid replied, a little insulted at the question "We've dealt with lightning storms before. And other Skrills."

"But as far as how it behaves, no we don't. None at all." Hiccup followed up with "Tell us."

"Lightning, or electricity, is drawn to high points. Such as a tall tree." Matt explained, using his hands to help him explain what he was talking about "But not just that, it's attracted to metal."

"Oh yeah!" Hiccup said out loud "I remember that when we made metal stands for our dragons! We had a lot of lightning storms while we had them!"

"And it almost killed you." Astrid reminded, her face growing more serious.

"But I'm still here!" he replied with a confident smile. Turning to Matt, he then said "Just tell us what you're thinking."

"Metal is super conductive. Meaning that lightning can travel through metal." Matt continued "Let's say Wasatch and I go ahead of you guys when we try to free those dragons."

"And draw all their fire away from us." Astrid said, turning to Matt with a mixed facial expression of excitement and worry.

"And let's say I get hit with the chains." Matt threw in with a smile "Wasatch could just charge up and shock anything that tries to touch the chains. If he shocks it long enough, it would get hot enough to melt them."

"But what about you? Wouldn't you be shocked with the chains?" Heather asked, a worried expression on her face.

"It's true, I would be grounded if a chain was attached to him." Matt confirmed. Seeing Heather's confused face, he then explained "Grounded doesn't mean what you're thinking. It's where I'm connected to the ground by some way and the electricity then has a current. As long as I'm in the air with nothing attached, Wasatch could radiate with lightning all day and I'd be fine." Letting a smile grow on his face, he then said "When he does get hit, I can jump down or something while he goes to town on them. Maybe even start freeing some of the dragons."

"Before we go, we'll make a real plan." Hiccup said, standing up from where he was sitting "But that does give us some options."

"Good." Matt said with smile. Turning to Astrid and Heather, he then said "Guess we better get planning then. We got a prison to break to do."


	13. Chapter 13

_**So here's Chapter 13. Hope you enjoy it. I'm currently formatting my story in a way where I can make a eBook. If I can figure out how to, I'll post it onto a blog site and allow people to download it for ereaders like the Kindle or other tablet/phones. Any who, enjoy!**_

 **Chapter Thirteen: Achievement unlocked; "Trusted"**

"Thanks for letting me have my axe back." Heather said, grabbing it from Astrid's hands.

"No problem Heather." Astrid replied with a smile "You still need to let me fight with that thing though."

"Heh, maybe after this little adventure. I'm sure we're going to have plenty of chances for you to try it out." Heather laughed lightly, with a smug grin. Feeling herself bumped in the back, she turned to see Windshear smiling at her. "We're about to get even, aren't we girl?" she said, raising one hand to pet her dragon.

A little concerned, Astrid also walked up to Windshear. Petting the Razorwhip as well, she then said "Remember Heather, you're going to follow my lead. I don't want you to do what you did when we attacked Dagur's ship."

Frowning slightly, Heather just nodded "I understand." Turning and facing Astrid, she then added "Don't worry Astrid. I'm not going to lie or change the plan like last time. I promise."

Astrid let a small smile grow on her face. Resting her hand on Heather's shoulder, she then said "I know Heather. I believe you."

"Do you trust me though?" Heather quickly asked, raising an eye brow.

"It's getting to be a lot easier." Astrid admitted "So don't let me down."

"I won't, I promise." Heather said, smiling at the news.

"I really wish I brought one of my weapons from home." Matt's voice sounded, causing the girls to turn to see him walking up with Hiccup and the rest of the gang. Their dragons were behind them as well, with the exception of Hookfang who was sleeping in the rising sun.

Matt had his hatchet hanging from a leather strap that Hiccup outfitted for him, so that he could where it on his hip with his snowboard pants. Strapped to his back was a shield that Astrid gave him. Painted on it were lightning bolts, making an image of a storm. He was also wearing his beanie hat, his goggles were hanging from his neck, and he was busy sliding his knife into his pocket over his chest. Zipping it up, he then looked up to see the girls staring at him. "What? Never seen a snowboarder before?" he asked with a mischievous grin growing on his face.

"Well, at least you look like you know how to fight." Astrid teased walking up to Matt. Punching him lightly in the chest, she then asked "What did you mean you wish you could have brought one of your weapons?"

"We don't use axes or swords anymore." Matt explained "Well, not conventionally. We use weapons called guns; they're like your crossbows. Except that we don't have to reload after firing once."

"Sounds…interesting." Astrid said, trying to picture the object Matt was talking about.

Laughing he then suggested "How about I draw you guys a picture when we get done. I'll explain how it works."

"I'll take you up on that." Astrid answered with a smile. Turning to Hiccup, she then asked "Everyone ready?"

"You bet we are!" Ruffnut shouted "We're going to blow up an entire island! Who isn't excited about this?"

"Alright, that confirms it. We're reviewing the plan." Hiccup quickly threw in, shaking his head and Ruffnut's and Tuffnut's excitement. Looking up at Matt, he then asked "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Come on Hiccup." Matt laughed "I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to. Wasatch and I are ready."

Nodding, Hiccup then began to say out loud "Alright, the first part of the plan is to let Matt and Wasatch draw all the chain launcher's fire. If they're hit, they're the only ones that have an escape plan." Looking at Heather, he then added "And thanks to Heather, we know where those chain launchers are. Well, at least we have an idea."

Matt nodded, sliding out a folded piece of paper from his pants pocket. Unfolding it, he saw the rough sketch of the island with circles marking the spots of the launchers. "I'll just act like there's more than what's marked here. In case they added a few extra."

"Then, after Matt gives us the signal, or if the time limits up; we'll go in and begin to free the dragons." Hiccup continued "Astrid, Heather, and Snotlout will start by focusing on the dragons in the cages. The twins, Fishlegs, and I will focus on freeing the dragons in the pits."

"Meanwhile, after I finish either distracting or destroying the chains, I'll focus on the catapults with nets." Matt quickly threw in, looking at Hiccup "Right?"

"Exactly. You'll be out of the net's range, but I've seen those chain launchers. They can shoot pretty far." Hiccup said "Focus on those, then try to destroy the nets. You're also going to be our ticket out if one of us are in trouble."

Nodding with a smile, Matt just gave him a thumbs up "Don't worry Hiccup. You can count on me. I'm getting used to bailing you out."

Shaking his head with a smile, Hiccup turned to Heather and asked "Do you think you can get the keys to open the cages?"

"Easy. I know where they're at in the one building." Heather replied, smiling at him "It won't be hard to find them anyways. Having been there for a few months, I know where they'd put them."

"You sure?" Matt asked, looking at her with some concern "We can't defend the dragons forever, while we search for the keys."

"The captain would have them if anything." Heather quickly answered, turning to face Matt. Seeing his concerned face, she then quickly added "I'll get them. I promise."

"Good enough for me!" Hiccup said with a smile. Climbing onto Toothless, who looked more than anxious to get going, he then said "Ready to save ourselves some dragons?"

"More than ready." Fishlegs shouted, obviously excited at the possibility that they were going to be seeing new dragons.

"Yeah! We're going to blow some stuff up!" Tuffnut shouted with evil looking grin.

"No! No blowing up stuff until I tell you too!" Hiccup shouted out of fear.

"Ooooohhh…" Ruffnut whined "Why do you always ruin the fun Hiccup?"

Hiccup just groaned, shaking his head at the twins.

Astrid laughed at him, to which she teased him by saying "Too bad you're not going with Matt! His job is easier than babysitting them."

Hiccup just glared at her, which he quickly replied with a smile "Funny you should say that Astrid, you get to make sure Snotlout doesn't try anything with Heather!"

Astrid gaped at Hiccup, realizing the truth in what he was saying. Whipping her head towards Heather, she saw Snotlout riding Hookfang right next to Heather, who was lightly hitting her head with her fist; obviously annoyed by him.

"Don't worry baby, I'll protect you when you're looking for the keys." Snotlout said, smiling at Heather.

"Great. Filled with confidence." Heather huffed as she slowly climbed on Windshear, who was eyeing Snotlout dangerously.

"Hiccup…remember last time you had me babysit someone?" Astrid asked, turning slowly to face him.

"Yeah, you almost beat Gustav senseless." Hiccup laughed, walking Toothless away from her "If you do beat on Snotlout, try to at least leave him functioning. We still need him."

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted angrily.

Ignoring her angry shouts, Hiccup walked Toothless to Matt. Busy making sure his gear strapped on, Matt felt Toothless' head bump into his back. Turning around, he smiled at the goofy dragon. "Hey Toothless! Ready to get going?" Toothless just grinned at Matt, letting his eyes get big at the same time. Laughing, Matt rubbed his head vigorously, scratching behind his ears as well.

"You sure you'll be ok?" Hiccup asked, looking at Matt with concern.

"Trust me Hiccup, I'll be fine." Matt said with a smile, looking up at him "Besides, if I do get in a bind, it's not like you guys can't come and help me. Right?"

Smiling, Hiccup nodded to reassure Matt, as well as himself. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. Like last time. I still feel guilty because of-"

"Hiccup, you didn't ask me to help you when you were captured by Alvin." Matt reminded, turning around and starting to climb up on Wasatch "I chose to do what I did. Don't feel bad for what happened to me."

"Easy to say, hard to do." Hiccup gently replied, watching Matt strap himself in his bindings.

"Isn't that life though?" Matt asked, looking up at him. Then, with a small smile, added "Hiccup, I'll be fine. Astrid taught me a few ways to fight and I now have a shield. I don't plan on using it in a fight, since I'd rather be on Wasatch, but if that doesn't work out, I won't be defenseless."

Smiling, Hiccup just nodded. Starting to turn around, Matt then quickly said "You be careful Hiccup. Watch out for…" His voice trailed off as he saw Hiccup turn back to face him "Just be careful with Heather. Will ya do that at least?"

Realizing that Matt was just concerned for him, Hiccup nodded and said "I will Matt. I will. I'm sure she'll prove to be loyal today, but I will stay a little defensive."

Satisfied, Matt just nodded and pulled up his snowboard goggles. Walking Wasatch behind Hiccup and Toothless, he turned to see Heather quickly walk Windshear away from Snotlout and towards Astrid.

"Alright guys! Let's get going then!" Hiccup shouted, facing everyone "We got at least a few hours of a ride ahead of us."

"Right behind you!" Fishlegs shouted, giving him a thumbs up.

"Please, let's just go!" Heather groaned, seeing Snotlout walk Hookfang near her and giving her a wink.

Laughing, Astrid launched Stormfly into the air, followed by everyone else. Matt leaned forward as Wasatch catapulted into the air. Watching Heather try to get away from Snotlout, he then whispered "I hope you remember Heather, you only have one chance."

* * *

"There it is!" Heather shouted, pointing to the island that slowly came into view "There's some cliffs on the east side of the island that we can rest at for a minute. They don't have patrols over there.

"I'm not opposed to that Hiccup." Astrid seconded, turning to face him "Might be a good idea."

"Isn't time against us?" Matt asked, coasting Wasatch above the two girls "I mean, by now the Berserkers must have figured out that Heather left them. It's been three days and two nights, right?"

"I have to say, I'm kind of siding with Matt on this one." Fishlegs said out loud "The sooner we hit them, the less time they have to prepare for something."

"Your call Hiccup." Astrid said, turning to face him.

Hiccup looked at Heather, and then to Matt. Seeing Matt's face and remembering that he promised that he would be careful with Heather, he sighed as he said "Let's get this done. The sooner we're done here, the better chance we might have to learn what Dagur's doing."

Matt smiled as he listened to Hiccup. Making sure his goggles were on securely, he then pulled out the map that had the location of all the chain launchers. With 10 of them positioned in a large circle around the prison, protecting the catapults with the nets, he decided to strike one from behind; flying low and fast so he could fly straight and hit another launcher before they time to react.

"Matt, if it gets too dangerous, I want you to pull out." Hiccup shouted, pulling Matt's thoughts to the present.

Looking at Hiccup, Matt just nodded. "I'll be fine Hiccup. Wasatch will be able to take down at least six of the launchers before they even have time to react."

"Be careful Matt. I don't know if they changed anything since I left." Heather said, looking at Matt as he continued to fly over her.

"I'll be fine. Just make sure you all do your jobs." Matt said, facing everyone "I think they'll be in for a shock with what he'll do with their chains. Hah! See what I did there!"

Astrid groaned at the joke, shaking her head. Looking back up at Matt, she then said "Remember, if you have to get on the ground, your shield is your best weapon!"

"Right, let's hope I don't have to use it." Matt said, looking back up at the island "Well bud, you ready?" Wasatch roared, looking up at his rider with a smile. "Alright! Wait for at least 5 minutes." Matt shouted, getting himself pumped. His old nervous feeling was returning, something that he hadn't felt in a long time. "Let's go boy!"

Wasatch immediately accelerated, leaving the group behind. Matt leaned forward as he guided Wasatch to fly lower. Flying over some snow covered trees, it didn't take him long to leave the group behind and towards the center of the island. Flying towards a small hill, Matt gasped as he saw the dragon prison emerge into view. It was a field of cages and pits! Taken back by the sight, Wasatch suddenly, banked hard right, throwing Matt off balance. Feeling his dragon level off, allowing him to get his balance back, he turned his head around to see two chains flying by.

"FIRE AGAIN!" a voice shouted below.

"They were waiting for us!" Matt shouted, seeing that there were three chain launchers hidden in the trees. With men trying to reload the two launchers that were fired, the third one was already aimed at him. "Move Wasatch!" Matt screamed, leaning left. Wasatch immediately banked a hard left, turning around to face the chain launchers. Matt then shouted "Hit 'em hard!"

Wasatch immediately fired a lightning bolt, hitting the loaded launcher and destroying the winch. "Good job buddy! Finish the rest of them!" Matt shouted, letting Wasatch hover. Wasatch then fired another lightning bolt, this time smaller. Sweeping it back and forth, he destroyed the last two launchers as the Berserkers dove into cover.

Satisfied, Matt then said "Change in plans buddy, we're going to do a circle around the prison. They were obviously ready for us. Take it slow and make sure your aim is true!"

Wasatch roared, flying forward, scanning the ground for other targets. Matt was also watching for anything, but to be honest, his mind was busy thinking about how the Berserkers were waiting for them. His thoughts were interrupted as Wasatch fired another lightning bolt. Glancing down, Matt saw the remains of a catapult tumble onto the ground on fire. "Good shot bud!" Matt shouted, shaking his head to refocus on the task at hand. He forgot he was on a time crunch and needed to destroy as many of the launchers and now catapults as he could! Now that the Beserkers moved all the catapults and launchers, time was really against Matt. Urging Wasatch to fly faster, he could see two other launchers getting ready to fire. "Take them down boy!" Matt shouted, lining up Wasatch for a perfect shot. Again, Wasatch fired at the launchers in a sweeping motion, destroying them and making the Berserker's dive out of the way.

"That's five total! Keep going bud!" Matt shouted, focusing on what was ahead of them "We might have three minutes left!"

Wasatch accelerated, scanning the ground with his trainer. Focused on what may be ahead, his blood quickly froze as he heard something heavy move under him. His head snapped towards the direction of the sound, he could only helplessly watch a net open up and start to swallow Wasatch. They flew right over a hidden catapult.

"No! Wasatch!" Matt screamed, watching the net wrap around both of them. Feeling his dragon drop out the air, Matt tried to rip the net off both of them as they tumbled out of the air. Wasatch did his best to land in a way to keep Matt safe, but still rolled as he hit the ground.

"Gaarrggh!" Matt yelled, feeling Wasatch roll over him. With his feet still in the bindings, he was pulled up again and rotated with Wasatch, landing hard on his stomach. The net was hopelessly wrapped around them; and with the extra roll on the ground, it tightened around Wasatch. Matt couldn't even grip his leg, which felt like it took another sword to it.

"Which one is that one?" A voice called out, followed by multiple footsteps "By Thor! Is that a Skrill? Did we just catch a Skrill!?"

Matt could only turn his head, trying to spit out the snow and dirt he picked up with his teeth. "Yes it's a Skrill! Stay away before I let him kill you!"

The Berserkers laughed at the threat as one of them walked over to where Matt lay. Wasatch let out a long growl, as if warning the approaching man. Kneeling down in front of Matt, the man then ordered the rest of the Berserkers "Try to get the kid out of the net. Keep the Skrill in it though. I want to give him to Dagur." Returning his gaze to Matt, he then let out a slow smile "Now, why don't you tell me who you are and what you're wearing…"

"Erggh." Matt grunted, feeling some of the net cut "Yeah, I'll get right on that for you. You just got lucky that you guys were waiting for us!"

"Us?" The Berserker asked quickly, his head perked at the word.

Realizing that they still didn't know about Hiccup and the others, Matt quickly said "Yeah us! Me and my dragon!"

Smiling at his new captive, the man looked down at Matt and quietly said "Well, no matter. It won't make a difference if I know your name or not. Your dragon is now Dagur's. And you…well, I guess we can have some fun with you before we have to…"

"He'll kill you!" Matt said angrily, feeling the net over him get lifted off. The Berserkers then grabbed his arms and tried to pull him, only to see that he was still strapped to the dragon.

"Ugh, get him out of those things." The man ordered, annoyed at the inconvenience.

As the men laid their hands on the bindings, Wasatch radiated some lightning, striking one of the men and launching him away. Unfortunately, this also shocked Matt.

"Gaah!" Matt roared, feeling the surge course through his body. Lying there limp, he whispered "Wait 'till I'm off of you Wasatch."

Seeing what happened, the man then ordered "Get him out of those things and keep him on the dragon. I guess we can't get rid of him yet."

Matt continued to lay there weakly as he felt the rest of the guards try to get him out of his bindings. Eventually, they were able to get him out, and quickly stood him up on his feet. Feeling his hatchet and shield get removed off of him, Matt just glared at the Berserkers. The man that was in charge then walked up to him and pushed Matt backwards, to where he fell onto Wasatch.

"Now then, while my men go grab some irons to keep you attached to this Skrill, why don't you tell me what you were planning on doing here."

Gripping his leg in agony, Matt looked up at the leader with fire in his eyes. Before he could say anything, a distinct scream began to sound off; getting louder with every second. Smiling, Matt then said "I was a distraction. The rest of your launchers were here huh?"

Realizing what Matt was saying, and hearing the Night Fury scream, the leader began to shout in a panicked manner "Get back to the fort! Drag the last of the chain launchers back over there!"

Most of the men immediately began to sprint towards the only building in the center of the prison. As they ran, a blue explosion lit up the building. The leader watched in horror as some of the fort then became a fireball. Looking behind him, he saw other dragons fly over, all heading to specific locations. "No!" he screamed realizing that he had already lost the battle before it even started. Turning to the few men that were still with him, and holding the net down on Wasatch, he ordered "Drag the beast and the boy to the ship. We're leaving with our prize!"

"You won't get too far." Matt said with a wry smile "Even with the dragon as a hostage, they have dragons that can shoot with pin point accuracy!"

"What if I just take you hostage then huh?" The leader said with venom in his voice. Reaching down, he drew his sword and grabbed Matt by the coat. Matt tried to fight back by swinging his fist into the man's stomach. Recoiling back slightly, the man then brought the hilt of the sword into Matt's head.

Matt's world was literately rocked. His vision was blurring, and he stumbled to the ground. Feeling like the ground was moving, he was helpless as the man picked him up and hefted him onto his shoulders. "Congrats kid. You just made your dragon a ransom." He huffed, walking with the remaining men and ignoring the dragons that were escaping their cages.

Matt could only helplessly lay on the Berserker's shoulders. "Wasatch…" he whispered as he watched his dragon rage in the net. Thinking all was lost, he then heard something that ironically comforted him.

"Let him go, Hadvar!" Heather's voice called out.

Hadvar looked up to see Heather and Windshear hovering above them. "Well, well, well. Looks like our great sister to Dagur has come back after all! He knew you were never loyal to him."

"I'm not telling you again!" Heather shouted, landing Windshear in front of the leader, apparently named Hadvar. "Let him go. And I'll make sure you get to live when we take you to Berk!"

"Well, since you asked nicely." Hadvar replied, his face growing darker. In an instant he spun Matt off his shoulder and held the sword to his throat. "I plan on leaving this island with this kid. Or you. I'll take you as a replacement."

Heather stared at Matt in horror, realizing that she couldn't really help him. She could see where he was hit in the head, as a good amount of blood was pouring down the side of his face.

"Now, either move out of the way, or drop your axe and come with me." Hadvar said, still glaring at Heather "I know Dagur would like to know about what you did."

Matt at this point felt his world slowly coming back together. Looking at Heather and seeing her defeated look; he made himself cough, moving his hand towards his coat pocket at the same time.

"Make your choice Heather!" Hadvar warned again, waving the sword as a reminder. Positioned right behind Matt, he never saw his hand silently unzip a pocket over his chest.

Heather watched as Matt slowly drew his pocket knife out. Seeing what he was doing, Heather looked at Hadvar in the eyes and said "No. I'll take you down myself."

"Suit yourself. The kid dies!" Hadvar said, anger written all over his face. Leveling the sword to Matt's neck, he never saw the knife blade flip open and get driven into his leg. "Wah! Aggh!" Hadvar yelled, dropping the sword and clutching the knife that stuck out of his thigh. The blade was buried clear up to the handle.

Matt then whirled around and swung his fist into Hadvar's face. The action knocked down Hadvar, but also sent Matt into a world of light headedness. Losing his balance, he crashed onto the ground as well. Rolling onto his back, he caught a glimpse of Windshear's tail slamming into the ground next to him. Looking over, he saw Hadvar lay there on the ground motionless. Letting out a sigh, and also finally relaxing himself; he then began to feel the blood run down the side of his face. Patting it with his hand, he saw that it was covered in blood. "That's not good." Matt groaned, letting his arm and head flop onto the cold, snowy ground.

Heather at this point ran up to Matt. Sliding on her knees, she immediately began to tend to the wound. "Matt! What happened!?"

"Ugh…" Matt moaned, trying to focus "I…I think they were waiting for us. For Hiccup actually. They were all here when I flew over the hill. Got 5 of their launchers though…"

Heather looked at Matt with concern, realizing that he was still dazed from the hit he took, not to mention whatever injury he had when he was shot down. "Shh…Sorry for asking questions. Just focus on staying awake." Grabbing her hood, she tore it off and lightly pressed it against the wound

Matt just nodded, trying to keep his eyes open. Feeling the cloth gently pressed against his head, he slowly felt like he was going to sleep. The blow to the head and the quick spin to punch Hadvar didn't help him. Realizing he was losing conscious, he let one eye close, fighting to keep the other open.

"Windshear! Get the others!" Heather shouted, turning to her dragon who was watching intently. Windshear immediately launched into the air, flying faster every second. Returning her attention to Matt, she then ordered "Stay with me Matt."

"Ugh…sleep sounds good…" Matt whispered, looking up at her with a small grin "Any chance of letting that happen?"

"I hope your joking." Heather replied with a stern voice "Not until we know you're going to be alright!"

"They still have some chain launchers." Matt quietly said, wincing in pain as Heather continued to dab her torn hood onto the wound, cleaning up the blood.

Seeing it a lot more clearly, she saw that the wound was split open. "Ugh…he got you pretty good." Heather said, pressing the blood soaked hood more firmly against the cut. "Don't worry about the chain launchers. That's not the concern right now."

"Then why am I your concern?" Matt whispered, letting his head rest against the snowy ground "I'm going to be honest; I treated you like crap. Why the sudden sympathy for me?"

"I guess you'll have to wait and find out why." Heather said with a small smile growing on her face.

"I guess I will." Matt whispered back. Blushing a little bit, he then said "For what it's worth, thanks."

"No problem Matt." Heather replied back. "Now, shut up and relax."

"Still the same Heather…" Matt jested, doing as he was told. Even though he had concerns about how the Berserker's were ready for him, he now knew that Heather was indeed someone he could trust. Maybe.

Heather at this time, looked up at the sky, searching for any signs of the others. The captured dragons that were released, were all flying away; making the scene a lot more chaotic than what was actually happening. Suddenly, she heard something roar, making her head whip to the direction the sound came from. She gasped as she saw Wasatch still struggling in the net that was wrapped around him.

"Hey Heather, could you help Wasatch out?" Matt whispered, trying to keep his eyes open.

"Not yet, not until someone comes to help you." Heather replied bluntly, checking the cut a second time.

"Please Heather!" Matt pleaded "It'd mean a lot to me."

Hesitating, Heather then nodded. "Fine. But if I find that you closed your eyes and went to sleep, you can bet I'm going to kick your butt!"

"Threat noted." Matt whispered, making a conscious effort to stay awake.

Grabbing Matt's hand, she guided it so that he could hold the makeshift bandage on the cut. Standing up, she jogged to where Wasatch was thrashing around. "Hold on buddy! Hold still for me."

Wasatch stopped struggling against the nets, seeing Heather run up to him. Eyeing her warily, he just growled as she got closer.

"Come on, let me help." Heather whispered, freezing in her tracks as Wasatch continued to growl at her. Slowly, she reached out and grabbed her axe. Slowly flipping it open, she took a deep breath and took a step closer.

Wasatch stopped growling, but continued to bare his teeth at her.

Taking it as a sign that he was allowing her to help, she gently lifted a piece of the net and sliced it with her axe. Seeing the rope fray, she quickly turned to see if Wasatch would try anything. Seeing that he was still staying still, she then reached over on the side of the net and cut it as well.

Feeling the net loosen significantly, Wasatch extended his wing and began to push the net off himself.

"One more." Heather whispered, walking to the Wasatch's head. Breathing for a second, she slowly reached for the net over his head and pulled some slack. Again, her axe made easy work of cutting it, to which Wasatch was able to stand straight up on his legs. Stretching out, he let the rest of the net fall off of him. Looking down at Heather, he then lowered his head and shocked her.

"Gah!" Heather gasped, feeling her energy drain. Looking at the Skrill, she just stood there with a confused look.

Ignoring her the Skrill then walked away, towards where Matt lay.

Heather forced herself to follow, her legs still recovering from the shock. Staring at the Skrill, she noticed something on one of the spikes on his neck; in between Matt's bindings. Walking closer to it, she saw that it was covered in red. Blood. "No…" She whispered, realizing where the blood probably came from. Running past the Skrill, she quickly saw that Matt was still awake, though barely. His face was noticeably whiter; as if he was becoming sickly.

"Hey Heather…" Matt whispered, forcing a small grin "I'm still awake…is Wasatch ok?"

"He's fine. It's you I'm worried about." She said, lifting on his shoulder "I need you to roll over real quick."

"Why?" Matt asked, feeling himself pushed onto his side.

"Oh no..." Heather gasped, staring at his back. On Matt's lower back, near the right side, was a decent sized hole; punched into his coat. One the exact size as Wasatch's spike. Where he was laying was a pool of blood from the puncture. "What happened!? Matt were you stabbed in the back!?"

"What!?" Matt exclaimed, feeling himself roll onto his back "No! I was barely on the ground!"

"You have a hole in your back!" Heather explained, looking at him with concern "Wasatch has a spike covered in blood. Did you land on him wrong or something?"

Matt's paling face went a shade whiter. Slowly nodding, he then said "Wasatch did roll over me when we were shot down. I never noticed it! Or felt it! Obviously."

"I need you to sit up, but don't move after." Heather ordered, helping Matt sit up. Wasatch was now next to her, watching her help Matt.

"Ugh, that explains why I wasn't feeling so well. I was starting to get cold." Matt groaned, trying to sit up on his own. "Well colder than now." Feeling a jab in his side, he then gasped. "Urrggh. Is it on my side?"

"Lower back, on the right side." Heather informed, lifting Matt's coat from over his head. "You might be cold for a little bit."

"Ugh…now that you told me about it, I can definitely feel it now…" Matt coughed.

"I'm tearing your shirt up. We need to stop it from bleeding…" Heather said, focusing on helping Matt.

"Better hurry…I'm…I can feel myself fading." Matt coughed again "At least that explains why I'm coughing."

Heather lifted on the shirt, already weighed down by the blood that had soaked into it.

"Heather…" Matt whispered, trying to turn and face her.

"Focus on staying awake." Heather replied "Save your energy. Don't talk unless you need to."

"I need to." Matt said weakly, forcing a small smile "You've given me a hell of a reason to trust you Heather."

Taken back by the comment, Heather stared at Matt with a shocked expression. Seeing him begin to lean to the right, she caught him before he fell. "Matt!" She shouted, seeing that his eyes were closed. Laying him on his stomach, she quickly tore his shirt up into long strips. Thinking about what he said, she then whispered "Don't worry Matt. I'll make sure you have more of a reason to trust me."


	14. Chapter 14

**So...everyone should know already, that I re-wrote the Dragon Boarder to be more inline with the new Dragon's show. Just learned that 13 more episodes will be released on Dec 16, potentially changing this story. Greeeeaaaaaattt...Any who, I'm debating on ignoring the new episodes, though that might be really hard for me. This story will be finished regardless, but we'll see what happens with the future. Anyways, I hope you guys are liking this story. Honestly, with how long it's lasting, I'd like to think this is my best story yet. Hope you all feel the same! Well, enjoy!**

 **So...I just received a very, uh, hateful PM the day after I got this chapter ready to be published. I'm not going to place the name of the said person, because I'm not that kind of guy. In fact I'm pretty sure it was just a troll. However, he did say some things that stung a little. That being said, I don't want a pity party or sympathy notes from those that really enjoy the story and The Dragon Boarder series; just please tell me what you like and don't like about the story. That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **Chapter Fourteen: Original intent**_

Matt couldn't remember much of what happened, other than he was cold and his side was killing him. Now that his senses were starting to come back, he couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed. Where was he? Groaning, he slowly tried to push himself. Feeling that his muscles were weak, he quickly gave that up. It honestly felt like he had weights laid all over him.

"Hiccup! Guys! He's waking up!" Heather's voice sounded excitedly. Then in a softer tone, he heard her say "Easy Matt. Don't rush it."

Groaning, Matt fluttered his eyes open. Seeing that he was in a room lit by a central fire, he slowly let his eyes adjust to the objects that were just silhouettes. He could hear Hiccup walk right next to him. Looking up, he squinted his eyes to try and make him out. Seeing someone kneel down next to him, he then whispered "Ugh, where am I?"

"Take it easy Matt." Hiccup whispered, resting his hand on Matt's shoulder "You lost a bit of blood. You're going to feel sick for a little while."

Matt then remembered. He essentially had a hole in his back; at least, that was what he was told. Groaning, he let his head back down onto the pillow that he lay on. Breathing for moment, focusing on getting his strength back, he asked "Can you guys help me sit up at least?"

Nodding, Heather and Hiccup grabbed Matt's arms and gently pulled him up. Astrid then slid a crate behind him to lean against. Feeling himself situated, Matt closed his eyes and relaxed for a second.

"So, how are you feeling?" Hiccup asked, taking a seat next to him.

"Overwhelmed, confused, and tired." Matt whispered, raising his hand and rubbing his face; trying to wake himself up. "Alive."

"Easy Matt." Heather said "Took us forever to stop the bleeding; even then, it hasn't stopped all the way. You're going to be tired for a while as well." At that, she stood up and walked over to where a fire was, kneeling down at a cooking pot.

Nodding, Matt re-opened his eyes and asked "So, where are we? Dragon's Edge?"

Hiccup shook his head "No, we're in the fort at the dragon prison. You were in no position to travel, so we decided to stay the night here."

"What about the Berserkers?" Matt asked, a hint of panic in his voice.

"Gone." Astrid replied, standing behind Hiccup "After what Windshear did to their leader, they all just took off running.

"Besides that, we're posting a sentry every two hours with our dragons." Hiccup added, looking at Matt with concern.

Nodding, Matt finally took a look at himself. He could see that his body was bandaged around his stomach and back. He had a small wrapping around his head, more than likely for the blow he took to the head. Shaking his head lightly, he then whispered "Ugh, at least we won, right?"

"But it wasn't worth it." Hiccup said, looking down and shaking his head "I should have never sent you alone. That was stupid of me!"

"Hiccup!" Matt said, looking up at him "It worked out in the end. Heather saved my sorry butt and here I am, in your guys company!" Forcing a smile, he then said "I'll be up and running in a few hours."

"Try days." Heather cut in, handing Matt a bowl of some kind of soup "You need to take it easy to recover the blood you lost."

"It couldn't have been that much!" Matt argued, graciously taking the bowl "Just give me until morning and I'll be able to ride Wasatch back to Dragon's Edge."

"We'll see." Hiccup said shaking his head again "You don't realize how close we were to losing you."

"But you didn't." Matt countered, gently spooning the soup into his mouth "Here I am."

"So weak that you can't even sit up by yourself." Heather pointed out, taking a seat opposite of Hiccup.

"Listen, guys." Matt said, looking at Heather and then to Hiccup and Astrid "I know that you feel like it was you're fault. But I'm going to be frank and honest. It was a good thing I went alone. They were waiting for us. They had all their chain launchers and catapults waiting next to each other." Turning to Hiccup, he added "It wouldn't of mattered if you were with me or not. They would have gotten you too!"

Hiccup looked at Matt with concern, only to say "Still doesn't make me feel better."

"How did they know we were coming?" Astrid asked, looking at Hiccup with concern.

"Well, I had my suspicions." Matt said, looking up at Heather "But that was quickly ruled out after what happened."

Heather just looked down, shaking her head as well. "But it was my fault." She whispered quietly.

"How?" Matt asked, setting the bowl down. A little concerned, he then asked "If you know something Heather, now's the best time to come out with it."

"They knew I left them." Heather answered, looking up at Matt. Turning to Hiccup and Astrid, she continued "I wasn't very subtle in leaving this place. I think they knew that I would try to come back."

Hiccup sighed as he heard this. "I wish you told us that before we sent Matt by himself. Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because whatever trust you had in me would have been gone!" Heather argued. Looking at Matt, she continued "You would have been more suspicious of me if I had said something! Besides, I still had no idea that they would move all the launchers and catapults."

Matt just sat there, staring at Heather. His blood, what he had left, was boiling with anger that she kept that bit of information from them. But, she did save him. And honestly, she spoke the truth when she said that he wouldn't have trusted her. Well, at least not as much as he ended up doing. Sighing, Matt just shook his head.

"Heather, I realize that you were concerned that we wouldn't have trusted you as much." Hiccup began to say "But Matt was captured! Almost killed! If you hadn't gotten him away from those Berserkers, they probably wouldn't have tried to keep him alive! He could have been dead by now."

Heather hung her head down. Silently raging inside of her, she tried to quell the fire burning within. No matter what she did, or what she chose, it was always the wrong one. Before she could let loose her fury, Matt said something that caught her off guard.

"It's alright guys. She made the right call." He said, looking over at Heather. Seeing her shocked expression, he continued to say "She was right when she said I wouldn't have trusted her. I would have been more worried about watching her than focusing on the goals."

"Matt?" Heather whispered, still taken back his forgiveness.

Hiccup didn't say anything, neither did Astrid. This was something that seemed to have caught everyone in the room off guard.

Turning to Hiccup, Matt then explained "Listen, what happened to me probably could have been avoided. Maybe. But the thing is, Heather did save me. She even killed the Berserker that was going to end me right then and there." Looking back at Heather, he then added "She helped Wasatch when I asked her too. Even when I was apparently bleeding to death." Looking back at Hiccup, he finished with "And then the small fact that she's the reason why I'm sitting here, being able to talk with you guys."

Looking at Matt, Hiccup finally let a small smile grow on his face "Well, if Matt feels good about it, then I do to."

Looking at Hiccup and Astrid, and then back to Matt; Heather then whispered "Thank you. I was…really disappointed when I let you guys down again. I was feeling like I could never be able to be your friend again."

"Heather, you've always been our friend." Hiccup said gently, stepping over Matt and taking a seat next to her "I'm sorry I made you feel that way. It wasn't right for me to do that."

"Thanks Hiccup." Heather replied, looking up at him with her usual smug grin "That means a lot to me."

"Good! Now that we got that out of the way…" Astrid said loudly, standing up and moving Matt's backrest. Forcing him to lay back down, she then said "Time to change the bandages. Your back is starting to bleed through."

"Ugh, is this necessary?" Matt moaned, letting Astrid role him over onto his stomach.

"Yup. Hold still." She said simply, unwrapping the bandage around his head.

"I'd say his head is ok. Don't need to wrap that again." Heather said, kneeling down with Astrid and helping her.

"I don't know, he still looks like he needs some help." Astrid said, a mischievous grin forming on her face. Pointing down at Matt's face, she then said "Look at how beat up that face is. I mean, it's a miracle that we haven't died from seeing that."

"I have a feeling that you're talking about me, rather than the injury." Matt huffed, swatting Astrid's hand away. Then, with a similar jest, he added "At least my injuries are curable. I'd say you're a lost cause Astrid!"

"Oh you!" Astrid shouted, realizing that Matt switched the joke on her.

"Hah! That was quick one Matt!" Hiccup laughed, seeing Astrid's face.

Glaring up at Hiccup, she quickly stood up and said "I can't hit Matt, but I can hit you Hiccup!"

Instantly regretting what he said, Hiccup tried to jump out of the way of Astrid's fist. Astrid, knowing that Hiccup would try to run, grabbed his leather tunic with the same speed of that of a Speed Stinger.

"I'm sorry Astrid!" Hiccup shouted, knowing he was heading for a world of hurt.

Ignoring him, she pushed him down and kneeled down over him. Smiling, she then raised her fist and aimed at his shoulder.

Yelping, Hiccup just stared up at Astrid with fear. Then, with lightning reflex's; he raised his knee and nailed Astrid in the back, propelling her forward and off of him. Rolling onto his feet, he took off running out of the room.

"Get back here Hiccup!" Astrid shouted, sprinting after him.

"You think she'll really wail on him?" Heather asked, facing to Matt.

"Nah, she gets her kicks out of scaring him. And proving she's the best." Matt replied "She'll scare him for a minute and then things will return to normal.

Laughing, Heather then returned her attention to the wound. Carefully removing the tail of the bandage that was tucked into itself, she then slowly began unravel it. "Oooh, the puncture's still fresh." She said, quickly grabbing several clean cloths to place over the wound.

"Great." Matt groaned, shifting to his side as Heather began to roll him over "Be honest with me, how bad is it? Rate it one through ten."

"Eh…" Heather began to say, gently rubbing the wound "I'd say a six. It was because we didn't catch it right away that made it dangerous. Now it's a matter of just letting it seal up. The bleeding will probably stop after this change of bandages."

"Good to hear." Matt said with relief in his voice "I'll give it a good day rest, then see what I can do."

"If Hiccup will let you." Heather simply replied. Resting the clean cloths over the wound, she then used the existing bandage to wrap around them. "It might be easier if you can sit up." Heather said, struggling to get the bandage around his side that he was laying on.

"Yeah, no problem." Matt grunted, trying to sit up.

Seeing him struggle a little, Heather quickly helped him, grabbing his arm and gently pulling him up.

"There ya go…" He grunted, using Heather as leverage to set himself up "Thanks."

"No problem." Heather replied, focusing on wrapping the bandage around him and the cloths. After a few moments of silence, she then said "Thank you Matt."

"What? What'd I do?" he asked, looking over at her with confusion.

"For believing me." She whispered, making sure the wrapping was tight. Satisfied, she looked at Matt and said "I won't lie. I was thinking of walking out right before you said anything. So, thank you."

Slightly smiling at the comment, Matt then said "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it. You know that."

"I do." Heather replied, moving the crate that was his backrest behind him. Making sure it was in a good spot for him, she then took a seat next to him.

"But I'm going to disagree with what you said about me believing you." Matt added, resting against the crate.

"What? What do you mean?" Heather asked, looking at him with concern and worry.

"Yeah, I believed you." Matt began to explain "But it was because I trusted you. You earned it from me when you helped Wasatch when I asked. That told me that you didn't have any secondary agendas. It told me that you sincerely wanted to help me. Which means you want to help Hiccup and Astrid.

Stunned at what Matt was saying, Heather just stared at him, not sure of what to say.

"Easy, don't get too excited." Matt teased, realizing that he just rocked her world. Then, in a serious tone, added "And don't let it get to your head. Got it?"

Snapping out of her blank stare, Heather just smiled "Don't worry Matt, I won't. Thank you."

"Not a problem. I'm glad that I'm able to say it." Matt said with a grin.

Before Heather could say anything else, Hiccup and Astrid walked in through the door. Hiccup was holding his arm tightly, which told both Matt and Heather what ended up happening.

Astrid, seeing the blood stained cloths on the ground next to Matt, said "Sorry that you had to do that by yourself Heather. I was rather busy chasing a mutton head."

Hiccup just glared at Astrid, obviously angry with what happened. Heather laughed, saying "No problem. It wasn't that big of deal. It was easier this time because he was awake."

"How did it look" Hiccup asked, finally relaxing and taking a seat next to Matt.

"Better. Still fresh." Heather answered, shrugging her shoulders "We got it under control now, I bet that it'll stop bleeding tonight."

"Good." Hiccup whispered, obviously relieved at the news. Looking down at Matt, who in turn looked back at him "I can't help but feel like this is my fault Matt. Again."

"Come on!" Matt groaned, rolling his eyes at the comment "Seriously Hiccup, there was nothing that you could have done!"

"We don't know that." Hiccup argued "They may have shot me down instead of you! I would have been fine."

"Really? What happened to your leg when you crashed three years ago?" Matt asked, folding his arms and narrowing his eyes at him "Stop blaming yourself for my accidents Hiccup!"

"You know, that's funny coming from you." Hiccup countered quickly "You're the one that got injured last time we tried to come up with a plan with Alvin. Of course you had the Haddock luck with your leg! Think about my position Matt! You're visiting here and you keep getting injured! How do you think that makes me feel?"

"Wait, hold on one second." Heather interrupted, looking at Hiccup with confusion "What do you mean the Haddock luck?" Turning to Matt, she asked "Are…are you a Haddock?" Facing Astrid, she also asked "Is that why you said they act like brothers?"

Hiccup froze, realizing what he had just opened up. Glancing at Matt, he gave him an apologetic look.

Sighing, Matt closed his eyes and shook his head "Dammit Hiccup…"

"What? Is this something that I shouldn't ask about?" Heather asked again, realizing that she was treading different waters.

"It's…it's something that…" Matt began to say, to which Astrid cut in.

"It's something that not a lot of people know about." She said, placing a crate next to Heather and taking a seat.

"Oh." Heather whispered, nodding in understanding. Turning to Matt, she asked "How many people know?"

"Just Hiccup and gang." Matt replied, sitting himself up straighter "Oh, and Stoick. It's part of my story that I didn't tell you about."

"Oh…" Heather recalled, remembering when she and Matt talked a little bit about his past "Look Matt, if you're not comfortable with telling me, I'm ok with it!"

"No…I trust you." Matt said "I was just…just waiting for more formal circumstances."

"I can wait." She replied, not wanting to push her luck with her newly earned trust with Matt.

"No." Matt said resolutely "Now's as good of time as any." Looking at Hiccup, he then asked "Think I should tell her everything? I mean EVERYTHING."

"I'm ok with it if you are." Hiccup answered "It's your story."

"Our story." Matt corrected. Turning to face Heather, the first thing he said was "Everything I'm going to tell you is true. Every single word."

"Ok…" Heather said slowly, unsure of what to expect.

Taking a deep breath, he then began to say "So…I'm not from around here."

"Kind of figured that one out." Heather said, not hiding her sarcastic tone.

"No, I mean I'm not from around anywhere near here." Matt continued "I'm from a place called Utah. Southern Utah more specifically."

"Never heard of it?" she replied, getting herself comfortable on her crate.

"I'd be surprised if you had." Matt chuckled. Then, in a serious tone said "It's located about 4000 to 5000 miles away. And nearly 1000 years in the future."

Heather gawked at Matt. Unsure if he was joking, or being serious, she turned to Astrid and asked "Is he serious?"

Astrid just nodded, motioning her to return her attention to Matt.

"Remember Heather, I'm only telling you the truth." Matt said "And as noted before, my full name is Matthew Haddock. And being from the future, and after studying my family history, that makes me Hiccup's something great grandson."

Heather just stared at Matt with an open mouth, still unsure of how to take this…unique information.

"So, our story" Matt continued, motioning between him and Hiccup "starts three years ago; back in Utah. I was a rising star as a snowboarder. About to become really famous too." Seeing that he had Heather's complete attention, either out of interest or her mind was completely blown, Matt continued to say "I got lost in a blizzard one day while snowboarding; ended up in a cave. Found out that it had a tunnel that led out to Berk."

Heather finally said something "Matt, I know you said that you'd be telling the truth; but finding Berk through a cave!? Are you sure you didn't hit your head or something?"

"Heather," Hiccup cut in, leaning forward on his seat "I've been to the cave. It's real. This happened."

"But how!? How is this even possible?" Heather cried out.

"Don't ask me!" Matt replied "All I know is that I've been blessed to be able to come back here! I don't know how, or even why. All I know is that I can come here." Then it hit him. He completely forgot about the entire reason why he came back to Berk in the first place. Turning to Hiccup, he then said "Hiccup, don't let me forget to tell you something after this."

"Ok?" Hiccup answered, confused at the request.

Turning back to Heather he then continued his story. "So, when I first came here, I never saw a dragon before. So when I saw Hiccup and Toothless, I panicked and tried to board away from them. Astrid also ended up chasing me."

"We can try to recreate that." Astrid teased, remembering the first time she saw Matt with Hiccup.

"I'll pass." Matt replied with a smile "Don't think I'd bode to well falling off another cliff. Especially now."

"Wait, care to explain?" Heather asked, still looking dazed; as if she just got out of a fight.

"Well, long story short, they chased me off a cliff." Matt laughed, instantly regretting it as his side felt like something was jabbed into it. Breathing for a second, he continued to smile as he said "Passed out as I hit the ground."

"That's when we took him to my house." Hiccup cut in, telling his side of the story "We've never seen anything like Matt, so naturally I had questions."

"When I came to, Hiccup and I found out that we were related." Matt finished saying. Seeing Heather look like her head exploded, he then said "I promise that it's the truth Heather. When I went back home, I checked my family lineage. Sure enough, Hiccup was there; as was Stoick."

Heather just nodded, still soaking in the new information.

Seeing this, Matt then said "How about I tell you the rest of the story later? When you had some time to digest what we said. What have you thought about it so far?"

Heather slowly nodded. Looking at Matt in the eye, she then said "I…I'm not sure what to think. It's...it's a lot to think about."

"I should say that I passed out when I learned Hiccup and I were related." Matt added, resting his hand on Heather's knee "Took me a little bit to get used to the idea."

Heather just nodded, realizing that Matt was trying to help her.

Turning to Hiccup, Matt then said "And now, I have something important to tell you."

"Wow, can't wait to hear what this is." Hiccup said with a smile "Can't be too important can it?"

Matt's face grew dark. How could he have forgotten the entire reason why he came here? Especially since it meant the cave's secret was compromised. Sighing, Matt then said "Someone from my world knows about the cave."

"What!?" Hiccup replied out loud, almost shouting "Who? And more importantly how!?"

"I don't know who, but whoever it was, they broke into my room and stole my journal that had information on the cave. And Wasatch." Matt said quietly "I came here originally to warn you; to ask if you guys could blow up the cave when I headed back."

"But, that would mean…" Hiccup began to say slowly.

"I know." Matt answered "But I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'd feel like crap if something from my world hurt you." Looking at Astrid, he then added "Or anyone for that matter."

"Kind of like how I feel." Hiccup quickly said, folding his arms and looking at Matt with a solemn look.

Realizing that he walked into Hiccup's reason, and seeing exactly how he felt; Matt looked down from Hiccup and whispered "Yeah, I guess so."

"So, is that why you're here?" Astrid asked, staring at Matt.

"Originally, yes." Matt answered "Since you guys were gone, I told your dad. He agreed to blow the cave up after I left."

"But…" Hiccup threw in.

"The cave was closed. I couldn't go back." Matt said with a shrug "So, I decided to make my stay worthwhile. Came here, tracked you guys for a day and a half, saved you guys, met Heather, found Wasatch, and then went on a raid with you guys."

"And got injured." Astrid finished, smiling at Matt.

"Ah yeah, can't forget that can we?" Matt said with a grin. Looking up at Hiccup, he then explained "That's why I forgot to tell you. I've been pretty involved since I've been here."

Nodding, Hiccup then said "Thanks for telling me Matt. But I don't want to blow up the cave."

"Why? Because of me?" Matt asked with a serious face returning "Hiccup, you don't know what my world can do to yours!"

"I know, but I don't want to use that as our primary plan." Hiccup explained.

Before Matt could argue, Snotlout walked in with a limp. Getting everyone's attention, he moaned "Oh, Heather! I need help!"

"What?" Heather asked, looking at him with a questionable look.

Covered in mud and scrapes all over his body, with some tree branches sticking out of her leather tunic and belt, he then explained "I was on patrol when I thought I saw some Berserkers. I chased them away back onto their ship, but got knocked off Hookfang! I need some help! Want to bandage my ankle and hurting arm?"

Realizing what he was doing, Heather just groaned and buried her face in her hands.

"Wait, so there were no Berserkers?" Hiccup asked, making sure Snotlout wasn't telling the truth.

"Uh, pretty sure that I said I saw some!" Snotlout said angrily, frustrated that Hiccup was debunking his con.

"Snotlout…" Astrid groaned, face palming herself and shaking her head "Did you hit a tree branch while flying along the tree line again?"

"No!" Snotlout shouted. Seeing Hiccup's and Astrid's questionable looks, he quickly looked down and said "Maybe."

"Ugh…" Hiccup groaned, shaking his head as well. Heather and Matt burst out laughing, to which Matt moaned as he gripped his side.

Ignoring their laughter, Hiccup stood up and said "Come on. Let's fix you up."

"Uh, pretty sure I asked for Heather's help." Snotlout replied, glaring at Hiccup.

"She's busy helping Matt." Hiccup sighed "Come on…let's see what you did to yourself."

Protesting, Snotlout was pushed away from the room Matt was in, leaving Heather in peace; with Matt and Astrid trying hard not to laugh.

"Ugh…I can't wait 'till I can laugh again." Matt groaned, gripping his side with a smile "How long did you say it'd take?"

"A few day until you feel like you're back to normal." Heather answered with a smile. Then, moving the crate that was his back rest, she added "Maybe sooner if you try and get some rest."

"I've been passed out for who knows how long." Matt grunted, slowly falling onto his back.

"That's not rest." Astrid answered, smiling at Matt "Don't worry, we're heading to Dragon's Edge tomorrow. Fishlegs left earlier today to get Gothi and meet us over there. You look like you're doing well enough to ride there. Then we'll see what she says."

"Fine, seems like my mind's been made up for me." Matt huffed, staring up at the ceiling. Turning to Heather, he then said quietly "Thanks Heather."

"Oh, and I'm just dragon bait!" Astrid shouted, glaring at Matt.

"What? She's the one that changed my bandages. And is telling me what to do to get better!" Matt teased "But, if you really want to me to say it; thank you Astrid."

"You know Matt, you're really racking up the number of time's I'm going to hit you when you get better." Astrid growled.

Laughing, Heather grabbed a blanket and draped it over Matt's head "Better stop while you can Matt. Seemed like she hurt Hiccup when she hit him."

"Have you been hit by her?" Matt asked, pulling the blanket off his head "Not fun! My arm still hurts from when she hit me three years ago!"

"Just wait 'till you see what I can do now!" Astrid breathed, letting a mischievous grin grow on her face.

"Ugh, don't want to even think about it." Matt groaned "I think I'd rather have Wasatch roll over me again."

"Alright, that's enough." Heather said with a smile "Get some sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow."

"Fine Doctor Heather." Matt huffed, rolling his eyes. Then with a small smile, he slowly closed his eyes and tried to rest.

Both Heather and Astrid stood up to leave the room. As they walked out the door, Astrid quietly asked "You ok Heather?"

Shocked at the question, she turned to Astrid and said "Of course! Why do you ask?"

"I mean with Matt's story." Astrid continued, walking with Heather down the stone hallway.

"Oh. That." Heather replied. Looking down, she just said "Honestly, I don't know what to think."

"How about I answer some of your questions.' Astrid suggested gently "I'll answer them the best I can."

"You know, I think I'll take you up on that." Heather agreed, nodding her head. Looking at Astrid, she then said "Thanks Astrid."

"Hey, it's what friends do!" Astrid replied with smile. Then, a lot more quietly, she added "And family too."

Shocked at the comment, Heather then let a small smile grow on her face "Thanks Astrid. That was what I needed to hear."


	15. Chapter 15

_**Hey everyone, making good progress on the story. I think it'll be done in another week or so. Then I'll be able to post them as I focus working on a few grammatical and context changes. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**_

 **Chapter Fifteen: Checkmate**

"Agh!" Matt cried in pain. Looking over his shoulder, he glared at Gothi as she continued to spread some kind of gel over the hole in his back. "Wanna try and make it hurt some more?" he asked, trying to stare her down.

Gothi ignored Matt and softly swatted him in the spot, causing him to yelp.

"Don't get testy with her Matt." Stoick warned, watching Gothi continue to work on the wound "She's the best healer we've ever had!"

"Lucky me." Matt huffed, rolling his eyes.

Laying on his stomach on a table, he anxiously looked around Hiccup's room as if to help him pass the time from being worked on.

Having flown back to Dragon's Edge, with Matt just sitting on Wasatch; they were surprised to see that Stoick came back with Fishlegs and Gothi. Hearing that Matt was injured, he was the first to leave Berk with Fishlegs right behind. The group also learned that Gobber was coming a ship, just in case Matt couldn't fly back to Berk. But since last night, and a third round of changing bandages, Matt was a lot stronger in being able to move by himself. He still had issues if he laughed to hard or tried to exert his body too much; either with lifting or running.

"Yaaghh!" Matt shouted, feeling Gothi press the back of her hand against the wound "Ugh, how much longer?"

"She's almost done Matt." Stoick said gently "She's just making sure your wound is ready to be bandaged up again.

Sighing, Matt continued to try and ignore pressure being added to his backside. Sulking a little bit, he was relieved to see Hiccup, Astrid, and Heather walk in the door way.

"How's he looking dad?" Hiccup asked, laughing at Matt's miserable face.

"You kids did well in treating him." Stoick answered "Gothi hardly had to clean it when she opened it up."

"Yeah well," Hiccup began to say, turning to face Heather and Astrid "That was mostly the girls doing. I just managed the others in making sure they kept watch."

At that, Gothi finally took a step back from Matt. Motioning him to sit up, she then grabbed a roll of bandages and a single piece of cloth.

"Hold on Gothi," Astrid said, walking up to her "I can do that for you."

Gothi smiled as Astrid took the bandages and cloth. Looking at Matt, who slowly sat up, she then joked "Well at least she think's your head is alright. I'm not convinced yet though."

"Your so mean Astrid." Matt said, pretending to be hurt "Why do you have to pick on the cripple?"

"Oh…do you want me to treat you like a hurt cripple?" Astrid teased, softly placing the cloth on the wound and also the end of the bandage.

"You know what, sure." Matt replied with a mischievous grin "I could get used to calling you Nurse Astrid."

Astrid's face flushed red as both Hiccup and Heather laughed at the thought of her going by as a nurse.

Trying to think of something, Astrid just shrugged and said "Well, that's another punch from me. Where we at? Four hits I think?"

"Three." Matt chuckled, knowing that he was on a losing battle "I only earned three."

"I might feel a little generous when I'm able to hit you." Astrid said, smiling at the thought.

"Please, I don't need any charity from you." Matt groaned, not looking forward to the day when he was going to be better.

"Well, what's the verdict? How long for his back to heal?" Heather asked, walking up to Stoick and Gothi.

Gothi grabbed her stick and began to write in the snow that blew in the room. Hiccup looked down and followed the writing. Smiling, he then read out loud "He'll be fine. He's going to have to take it easy for a few days, but should be able to be back to normal by then."

"Good to hear." Matt grunted, letting Astrid finish wrapping the bandage around him. Ever so slowly, he slid off the table and stood up. The action of standing made him groan in pain, as he rested his hand where the puncture was. Gently sitting back down, he then motioned for the red tunic that Hiccup gave him since his flannel shirt was destroyed.

"Here Matt." Astrid quickly said, grabbing the shirt and handing it to him.

"Thanks." He breathed, tenderly sliding it over him, he breathed a sigh of relief as he finally relaxed from the jabbing pain. "Well, what am I allowed to do?"

"Nothing right now." Hiccup replied with a smile "Except rest of course. We'll all probably stay here for a couple of days, tidy up and close the place off. Then we'll head back to Berk for Snoggletog."

"Snoggle-what?" Matt asked, not sure he heard right.

"Snoggletog." Astrid answered "It's where we celebrate the winter months."

"Oh, like Christmas." Matt suggested, relating to Astrid. Seeing the quizzical stares, he then explained "It's a celebration from where I'm from. Frankly sounds better than Snugglepug."

"Snoggletog." Hiccup corrected "And to be honest, why we chose to name it that will always be a mystery to me."

Heather didn't say anything; rather, she took a small step back and away from the group. She couldn't help but feel a little excluded seeing Matt smiling and talking with Hiccup and others. And now that she knew he was related to Hiccup, she couldn't help but feel jealous. He was able to have a family, even a thousand years into the past. All she had left was Windshear. "And Astrid." She whispered to herself, closing her eyes as she said it. Astrid was a huge support for her, especially now. After Matt told how he really knew Hiccup and the others, she couldn't help but be confused and left with a lot of questions. Though Astrid didn't know all the answers, she did her best to help calm her mind. And it helped. She still didn't believe him about him being from the future, but she did learn to agree that he was from a very different place. Frankly, her head still hurt from what she was told. Coming back to the present, she watched Stoick rest his hand on Matt's shoulder.

"Take it easy Matt." He counseled "I should make you ride with Gobber when he gets here, but I'm sure you'll be stronger before then."

"Thanks Stoick." Matt replied "For both our sakes, I won't do anything to crazy."

Nodding, Stoick then turned to Hiccup and gently guided him out of the room, saying "Hiccup, I'd like a small word with you before I leave."

"Sure dad." Hiccup answered, walking out of his room with his dad. Standing on the edge of the platform, Hiccup turned to his dad and asked "What's up? Something on your mind?"

"Yes, actually." Stoick replied. Looking out at the ocean for a moment, he then turned and looked down at Hiccup, saying "What happened when Matt went by himself?"

Surprised by the question, as well as feeling guilty, Hiccup rubbed the back of his head and said "Well, you see, it was part of the plan. Matt was supposed to go and attack all the chain launcher's positions, because Wasatch could counter the chains." Looking up at Stoick, he then explained "We didn't expect them to move all their launchers and, well, you know the rest of the story."

Sighing, Stoick then said "Son, I realize that you were doing a good thing with trying to free the dragons from Dagur; and I'm glad that you succeeded. Who knows what he would have done with them." Resting his hand on Hiccup's shoulder, he then advised "But I want you to ask for my help when it comes to raiding or fighting Dagur's fleet."

"But dad!" Hiccup argued "We would have needed to wait for you for a whole day! Not to mention the time needed to pass the message to you! As well as-"

"Is it worth having another one of your friends hurt?" Stoick cut in, not taking his eyes off his son "What if it's Heather next time? The twins? Even Astrid?"

Hiccup didn't say anything. Looking down he just stared at the snow covered wood.

"Son, Dagur is a very dangerous man. Who knows what he'll do to you if he gets the chance to get you." Stoick continued to advise "I know I usually let you do what you need to with dragons and exploring, but now that Dagur is actively trying to get you and your friends; you need to be more careful…"

Slowly nodding, Hiccup looked up at his dad "For now, I won't do anything. I promise. But we'll talk about this when I get back to Berk. Ok? And for the record, I never felt like we won when Matt was hurt."

Stoick sighed, realizing that Hiccup still wanted to freedom to do what he wanted and needed to do. "Fine, we'll have this talk again. And, I understand what you felt like."

"Thanks dad, and I promise we won't do anything." Hiccup answered.

"Good." Stoick said gruffly, turning toward Hiccup's room "Come on Gothi! Let's start heading back to Berk."

Gothi then walked out of Hiccup's room, with Matt tenderly following by being supported by Heather and Astrid.

"Skull Crusher!" Stoick roared, turning towards the hanger "Let's get going!"

The Rumblehorn launched out of the hanger, flying in a large circle to be able to land where Stoick was. Watching his dragon, Stoick couldn't help but smile. Letting the massive dragon land next to him, he then let Gothi climb on. Turning to Hiccup and the rest of the group, he then said "I'll see you in a few days then!"

"Plan on it!" Hiccup said with a smile.

Smiling at his son proudly, Stoick then climbed onto Skull Crusher. "Alright Skull Crusher, let's see if we can't get back in half the time it takes."

Skull Crusher roared, accepting the challenge. Launching into the air, the Rumblehorn kept on accelerating, trying to ensure accomplishing the goal.

Watching them leave, Matt then turned to Hiccup and asked "So, what's the plan now?"

"Just what I said," Hiccup answered, not taking his eyes off of his dad "Start closing up the place and head back to Berk."

"You know what I meant." Matt said, still staring at Hiccup "What do we do now with Dagur? We hurt him with releasing the dragons."

"We're not doing anything. Not until after Snoggletog." Hiccup answered, facing Matt.

"Why?" Matt asked "I mean, we're on a role now. You want to stop?"

"What do you mean 'we're on a role'?" Astrid cut in, looking at Matt with concern "You almost bled out!"

"And yet, I'm still standing here." Matt replied, turning towards Astrid "Come on Astrid, don't tell me you don't want to finish what we started."

"No! We're not doing anything until after Snoggletog!" Hiccup said loudly, obviously frustrated about the subject.

Turning to Hiccup with surprise, Matt then asked "What's up Hiccup? You were gun-ho with stopping Dagur before? What changed? Is it what happened to me?" Heather and Astrid also stared at Hiccup with concern, surprised to see his resistance to stop Dagur.

Sighing Hiccup just shook his head and explained "No, well, a little actually Matt; but it's my dad. He doesn't want us to do anything to Dagur without him anymore."

"Why!?" Astrid asked "It's never been an issue before."

"I imagine it's because of what happened." Hiccup answered, looking up at Astrid. Facing back at Matt and Heather, he then added "I promised him that we wouldn't do anything until I sat down and talked with him about it. That's why we're not doing anything. Not yet at least." Then he said "Besides Matt, you need to be resting. What are you doing being on your feet?"

"I've been laying down for the last 24 hours Hiccup." Matt answered "I want to stretch my legs a little bit." Then, in a more playful tone, added "Beside Hiccup, since you promised not to go find Dagur now, we can still go and make a plan of what to do. I mean, can't we?"

"He's right Hiccup, we can still do something like that!" Astrid argued, siding with Matt "I mean, Dagur's going to try to do something to get some of his dragons back!"

Sighing, Hiccup shook his head "You guys are a bad influence, you know that right? If my dad asks, I never had anything to do with this."

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about!" Matt answered, smiling at Hiccup "I would never persuade someone to do something they wouldn't want to do."

Shaking his head with a wide smile, Hiccup gently rested his hand on Matt's shoulder and said "Fine, we can at least make a plan with our next move. But you're going back to bed regardless!"

"I guess I can't argue with that." Matt muttered, feeling both Heather and Astrid turn him around and begin to walk him back. Sighing, he then jokingly said "I feel like I'm a prisoner again! Held against my will, being told what to do."

"That's right." Heather said, smiling at the joke "Now shut up and lay down."

"That sounds about right." Matt muttered, trying to hide a smile. Forcing himself to frown, he then added "Oh I hope Wasatch comes to save me again from you Heather. You're a mean captor."

"Don't count on it." Astrid laughed "Saw him and the other dragons take off and fly down to the arena. He's probably a little preoccupied."

"All my friends abandoned me…" Matt moaned, feeling himself be guided onto his hammock that was set up for him. Gently, with a little assistance, Matt lifted his feet up and finally laid in his hammock.

"There. Now stay there." Heather ordered, still acting out her role. Smiling, she added "Prisoner."

"I don't have much choice, do I?" Matt huffed, glaring at her.

"Nope." Astrid answered, smiling at him. Taking a seat on Hiccup's table, she then turned and asked "So, what is the plan? I mean, after Snoggletog?"

"Well," Hiccup began to say "I'm going to try to convince my dad that we don't need him. So let's assume that it's just us."

Heather nodded in agreement, saying "Sounds good. And I think we should also expect trouble. Well, more than usual anyways. Since Dagur knows we're gunning for him."

"You don't think he knows that we know where he's living at do you?" Matt asked, looking up from his hammock "I mean, I guess we better expect something like that though, huh?"

"I think we should think about all the worst case scenarios." Astrid suggested, looking over at Hiccup "I mean, that's what we didn't do last time."

"And we almost lost Matt." Hiccup finished, looking down slightly.

"Will you guys stop with that?" Matt asked, groaning at the subject, as well as his side. Ignoring the jabbing, he then added "I mean seriously. Do you guys dwell on injuries you guys get? Like your leg Hiccup?"

"No, it's just-" Hiccup tried to argue, only to be cut off by Matt.

"Just what? That I'm not from here? That I'm a visitor?" Matt said loudly, obviously still frustrated "Look, I know that what happened to me was serious. I mean, I almost died. Again." Narrowing his eyes, he then added "But you have to remember Hiccup. You have just as much to lose as I do. We're in the same boat here! Dagur wants me just as much as he wants you. The only person that I imagine he would want more than us is Heather!" Turning to her, he then explained "I mean, she betrayed him, which led us to free all his dragons and destroy his prison. That's something I'm sure he won't look lightly at."

Staring at Matt, Hiccup then turned to Heather. Matt was right. Heather probably had the bigger target on her back now.

"I'll be fine. Windshear will make sure of that." Heather answered with a smile. Then, in a more serious tone, she added "Not only that, I have you guys. Right?"

Smiling at the question, Hiccup rested his hand on her shoulder "Of course Heather. We'll always have your back. Like we know you have ours."

"Literally." Matt piped in, smiling at Heather.

Laughing at the joke, as well as the mutual feeling, Heather couldn't help but have a broad smile. Though it was still a work in process, she could already feel that she was becoming more and more part of Hiccup's group. And she was enjoying it.

"So, with that out of the way." Astrid said, smiling at what was happening "What are we going to do about Dagur."

"Well," Hiccup began to say "We don't know anything about the island he's on. So what if we make camp at an adjacent island that's near the area where we know where he's at. Then Toothless and I can do some night flights to try and scout out the island. Just to see what we're dealing with."

"That actually sounds like a good plan." Matt piped in, causing Hiccup to gawk at him. Seeing the expression, he then smirked and said "What? Surprised I agreed with you?"

"Well, that and the fact that you didn't whine about something." Hiccup added, smiling at Matt.

"Hiccup!" Tuffnut yelled, running into his room with Ruffnut right behind him. Breathing hard, he then huffed out "Just…as a…side note…Whew, everything is fine."

"That fills me with confidence." Hiccup groaned, turning to face Tuffnut "What happened?"

"So, the boars…just hypothetically." Tuffnut began to say "They might have escaped from their cages. Mind helping us, uh, locate them?"

"Ugh." Hiccup groaned, slapping his forehead "I told you guys to make sure you locked up after using the boar pit!" Turning to Heather, he then asked "Mind helping me Heather? It's a good chance to show you the island, as well as show you the Night Terrors."

"Sure! I'd love to." Heather answered, smiling at the thought of going flying.

"The Night what?" Matt asked, concerned that he hasn't heard about whatever Hiccup was talking about.

"Night Terrors." Hiccup explained "They're nocturnal. Which you've either been unconscious or not here. So you haven't seen them. They're our sentinels at night."

"Nice! I'd like to see them!" Matt said with a smile "Any chance of that happening?"

"Actually yes! Tonight!" Hiccup answered with a smile "I'll make sure you see them."

"I'll stay here and make sure mister snowboarder stay's in bed." Astrid suggested, smiling at Matt as he scowled at her "I mean, he is a prisoner. Gotta make sure he feels like one."

"Doing a great job." Matt huffed, glaring at her.

Laughing, Heather then said "Make sure you tell him to shut up. He never stops talking."

"Ugh, get injured in a raid, get verbally abused by my so called friends, and lose all rights to move around." Matt moaned, resting his head in the hammock "Woe is me."

Laughing, Hiccup turned and walked out of his room, following the twins out "Come on Heather. Let's see how many boars we can find."

"Have fun!" Astrid teased "Try not to get mauled while doing it!"

Hiccup laughed as he disappeared from the room, followed closely by Heather. Stopping, she turned to Matt and Astrid. Running back to them, she pulled out something from her pouch. Placing it in one of Matt's hands, she then said "Thought you might want this back." At that she turned and ran out of the room.

Confused, Matt looked down and saw that it was his pocket knife. The one he left in the leg of Hadvar. Smiling at the kind gesture, he looked up at the doorway and whispered "Thanks Heather."

"That was nice of her." Astrid said, looking down at the knife.

"Yeah it was." Matt answered quietly, still staring at the knife.

"So…you and her?" Astrid began to say, a mischievous grin growing on her face "You…like her?"

Shocked at the comment, Matt looked at Astrid in surprise. "You're kidding right?"

"No. I'm not." Astrid replied with a smile "Serious. Do you like her?"

Staring at her, he then said "Well, as a girl, sure! But I don't think there's anything between us. I mean, look at how we met. At axe point and held hostage."

Astrid just looked at Matt, smiling at the topic.

Seeing her smile, Matt then said "Besides that Astrid, I don't belong here. I'm not a Viking. I'm not from here."

Astrid let a small frown grow on her face. He was right. He would have to go home eventually. Looking back at the door, she remembered how she and Hiccup felt when Matt left them three years ago.

"Listen Astrid, I don't want to think about it." Matt said softly, looking down "Let's drop the subject for now, 'K?

"Deal." She said, returning her attention to Matt. Astrid then asked "So, how bad does your back feel?"

"Well, how bad did it look?" Matt asked, looking back up at Astrid, his smile disappearing.

"It's a…it looks a little tender still." Astrid answered, pulling a chair up next to him.

"With that in mind, it still feels a little touchy." Matt answered, looking up at the ceiling.

"I bet you can ride comfortably tomorrow though. Might not be able to dragon board, but I'm sure you'll be able to sit on Wasatch."

"I hope so. I didn't travel all this way, through some kind of time warping cave, just to sit in a hammock all day." Matt answered, his usual smile returning. Looking over at Astrid, he then said "So that's enough about me. I'm getting sick of all the attention. What's up with you? Anything new?"

"Actually yes." Astrid said, looking back at the door to make sure they were alone.

Matt shifted himself in a more upright position, seeing that it was going to be a serious topic.

"I've been thinking a lot about what you've told me. You know, about what really makes me happy." Astrid said quietly, returning her attention back to him.

"And? What'd you come up with?" Matt asked, looking at her with curiosity.

"That I should stay here." Astrid replied, looking down slightly.

"Alright, why?" Matt asked, looking at her "What's your reason. I mean, you told me that you were wanting to join the Guard your entire life, so why don't you anymore?"

"I would still love to join Matt." Astrid corrected "But after thinking about what would make me happy, it made me realize how much I enjoy being here. Exploring, fighting Dagur, finding new dragons-"

"Flying with Hiccup?" Matt threw in, raising an eyebrow.

"What!?" Astrid stuttered "No! I mean, yeah! To still be friends with him! That's it!"

"Sure Astrid." Matt joked, resting his head against the hammock

"I'm serious Matt!" Astrid defended "It's nothing more than a friendship."

"Fine. You get to tease me with Heather, but I don't get to with you?" Matt laughed, shaking his head. Looking back at Astrid, he then asked "So, how does the choice make you feel? I mean, it sounds like you made a choice."

"Well, I feel good about it." Astrid said, nodding as if to assure Matt of her choice "I think that I'll be happier doing this than change my life around to join the Guard."

"You know Astrid," Matt began to say, looking at her from his hammock "I don't want to be the one to tell you what's the right and wrong choice. That's your decision. But, just as an opinion, I think that you'd really enjoy staying with Hiccup and the gang."

"Of course you'd say that!" Astrid laughed, looking at Matt with a wide smile "You know our history better than ourselves!"

"Eh, well." Matt began to say, rubbing the back of his head "Funny thing. Though I did look up to see if I was related to Hiccup, I never read about what happened during his life."

"Wait, what?" Astrid said in disbelief "I thought you said that you studied your family history!"

"Not in detail." Matt answered "I didn't want to know. Besides that, I'm pretty sure that me being here changes a few things."

Looking at Matt, Astrid then smiled and said "Well, I guess I can say I can't blame you. I'd probably kill you if you told me my future."

"Likewise." Matt said with a laugh. Sitting back in his hammock, he then asked "So, since I'm obviously a prisoner right now, and you're the jailer, how about you tell me some of the adventures you've had. Fill me in."

Smiling, Astrid then said "Sure, I can do that. Has Hiccup ever mentioned how he found the Dragon Eye?"

* * *

"There." Hiccup shouted, pointing to a boar that was running away "That's the last one." Facing the twins, he then said "You guys take it. I'm going with Heather for a little ride."

"Aaahhhh…" Ruffnut whined "I wanted to ride with the cool dragon of death that's Heather's!"

"Ruffnut. You guys are the reason the boars got out in the first place. Finish cleaning up the mess." Hiccup replied, ignoring her whining. Turning to Heather, he then said "Come on! Let's go check out the north side of the island!"

"Right behind you!" Heather shouted, flying Windshear right next to Toothless "Race?"

"If you want to lose!" Hiccup shouted, laughing "Come on Toothless! All you got!"

Toothless roared, accelerating at the urge. Windshear launched after him, not letting him get farther away. Toothless then flew lower to the ground, skimming the tree tops. The speed of Toothless was so great that the trees blew in the wind as he passed by. Laughing, Hiccup turned to see how far Heather was. To his surprise, she was still right behind him. Windshear didn't even bother with the trees, slashing them with her tail and slicing the tops off as she flew by.

"Pretty good Heather!" Hiccup shouted, returning his attention forward "Try to keep up through this!" At that, Toothless dove down into a narrow canyon and right into a cave

"Go Windshear!" Heather shouted, following closely. Riding into the cave, she saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Seeing Hiccup's silhouette bank right as he exited the cave. Hearing Toothless roar, she smiled as Windshear burst from the cave. Banking right, she turned to look for Hiccup; to her shock, Hiccup was nowhere to be seen. Frantically looking around, she then shouted "Hiccup! Where are you?"

Not hearing anything, Heather then shouted "Quick Windshear! To the North side of the island! I bet he's already on his way!" Windshear roared, accelerating at a rate that even caught Heather off guard.

As she started to fly over the trees again, she heard a voice that made her blood run cold "Heather! Down here!"

Whipping her head towards the direction that she heard the voice, her heart skipped a beat. Down on the ground, was Dagur. With Toothless caught in a net and Hiccup being held by two Berserkers. Stopping Windshear, she just gaped at her brother.

"Why don't you two come down here and have a chat? Whadd'ya say?" Dagur shouted, laughing at Heather's shocked expression "And if not, well, I guess this'll be the last time you see Hiccup and Toothless alive."

Realizing that she really had no choice, she quietly guided Windshear down. Landing a good 15 feet away from Dagur and his men, she then asked loudly "What are you doing here? How did you get here!?"

"Well, let's see…" Dagur said methodically, scratching his chin as if he was thinking "I…I think we sailed here. Yeah, I think that's what we did. Isn't that what we did Savage?"

"Heather! Go!" Hiccup shouted, fighting the two Berserkers that held his arms "Just get out of here!"

"Now, now Hiccup." Dagur laughed, walking over to him "Your brother and sister have to have a long talk. A talk about how she betrayed me and released all my dragons."

"Let him go Dagur!" Heather shouted, stepping off of Windshear. The Razorwhip then growled at Dagur, ready to strike at him and his men.

"Or what?" Dagur asked, smiling at Heather "Come on Heather, you don't have anything I want."

"No, I do actually." Heather replied quietly "Me. Me and Windshear for Hiccup and Toothless."

"Heather!" Hiccup shouted, only to have one of the Berserkers slide his hand over Hiccup's mouth. "Mmmpphh!" he growled, glaring at the Berserker.

"So…you're willing to trade you and your dragon, for Hiccup and his Night Fury?" Dagur asked, stroking his beard that he refused to shave since escaping from the Outcast Prison. "Interesting…very interesting." He spoke softly, pacing back and forth.

"Well? What is it?" Heather asked angrily, her fists curling up.

"Fine." Dagur said, pretending to sound defeated "I'll go with option C. Both of you and your dragons."

Before Heather could react, a Berserker roared to her left. Spinning to face the person, she helplessly watched a pair of bolas wrap around her, pinning her arms to her side. "No!" She screamed. Struggling to get her arms freed, she then shouted "Windshear! Get out of here!"

Windshear launched into the air, narrowly missing a chain from a launcher. Going straight up into the air, she barrel rolled in order to miss a pair of bolas that were thrown at her. Moving a little too late, she was hit in the tail, causing her to spiral out of control.

"Get that dragon!" Dagur yelled, seeing Windshear crash into the ground.

Multiple Berserkers ran to tackle the dragon. Windshear then stood up and took off running, dragging the bolas that wrapped her tail to one of her claws and leaving the Berserker's behind.

"Run Windshear!" She screamed, watching Windshear hobble away "Get help!"

"You idiots!" Dagur screamed, watching the dragon run into the woods and disappear "Load up who we have. We're on a time limit now because you all couldn't hit a dragon!"

The Berserkers holding Hiccup, began to drag him away; others were dragging Toothless away, groaning at the strain. Hiccup tried to fight the Berserkers, feeling the hand come off of his mouth. "Get off of me!" Hiccup shouted, trying to kick at one of them. Feeling himself spun around, he felt a handkerchief get tied around his mouth, gagging him. "Mmmrrpphh!" He continued to growl, being dragged away. Toothless was also fighting the net that wrapped around him, making it harder to drag him.

"Make sure they're both separated." Dagur ordered, breathing heavily with the disappointment of not having Windshear "Make sure you bind him when you get to the ship. Put the Night Fury in the cage with a muzzle."

"And of Heather?" a Berserker asked, looking over at her.

"I'll take care of her." Dagur growled walking up to her. Heather helplessly watched as Dagur stood next to her. Still upset with losing Windshear, Dagur slowly drew his sword. Running his hand along the blade, he then knelt down next to her and whispered "I have a few ways to send a message to the rest of the riders that I have Hiccup and Toothless. Want to guess which way I really, REALLY want to do now?"

Heather just stared back at her brother; scared, but calm. "If I know you Dagur, it'd be running me through and leaving me here." She whispered, not taking her eyes off of him.

Letting a crazy smile grow on his face, he nodded and said "That's exactly what I'd like to do now. But you know what, you're still family. I think we should spend some quality time with each other. Besides that, Windshear will pass the message for me."

"Dagur…" Heather whispered "Let Hiccup go. I'll tell you everything they learned. Then do whatever you want with me."

"Oh Heather," Dagur said with a smile "Always pretending to be sympathetic and concerned. I'd almost fall for it! No, I need Hiccup for a completely different reason than what you're thinking of. I figured out the Black Curtain!" Sheathing his sword, he then said "But did you really think that you could have had something like what Hiccup has? Friends? A family?" Laughing, he then added. "No Heather, you can never have that; not when you run away from those that either care about you, or are actually related to you."

Heather just stared up at him, completely crushed at what he was saying. Watching him walk up closer to her, he then said "How about we get going? Not that you have much choice."

"No!" Heather shouted, springing onto her feet. Her sudden movement caught Dagur off guard, as she slammed her head into his stomach. Though not her intention, her bluish armor along her left shoulder then cut into Dagur's leg. Seeing him recoil back, Heather took off running in the same direction as Windshear. Before she could even get close to the tree line, she felt something wrap around her boots, tightening around them.

Crashing into the ground, she rolled over to see another pair of bolas wrapped around her ankles. Dagur was also jogging towards her, scowling at her. "And here I thought you'd be trying to cozy up to me, oh well."

"Let me go!" Heather spat out, knowing the answer already.

"I'm afraid not Heather," Dagur said with a crazy smile and redrawing his sword out "We have a small reunion to go to." At that Dagur brought the pummel of the sword into Heather's head. And that was all she remembered.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Just finished checking and correcting this chapter, so I thought I'd post it! Hope you guys enjoy it!**_

 **Chapter Sixteen: Reoccurring nightmare**

"Mmmrrpphh!" Hiccup groaned, getting thrown onto the deck of the ship. Feeling a knee dig into his back, he was helpless as he felt his wrists grabbed and tied behind his back. After trying to fight back, he felt the pressure lift off his back, which he rolled over and promptly sat up. Staring at the two Berserkers, all he could do was angrily watch a group of them drag Toothless towards a cage.

After seeing the Berserker's strap a muzzle on Toothless and lock the cage door, he looked around the ship. Almost immediately, a foreign looking object caught his attention on the bow of the ship. It looked like a heavily modified crossbow, the size of a catapult though. It had four cross arms as well, all having a heavy duty spring attached to each one. A black container was loaded in it, ready to be fired.

"Ah, I see you found my latest toy!" Dagur's voice rang out, causing Hiccup to turn and face him.

Hiccup's heart skipped a beat as he saw a limp Heather draped over his shoulder, still wrapped up in the bolas, as well as her ankles. Carried by Dagur over his shoulder, he watched her get passed off to Savage, who then carried her down into the back of the ship.

Walking over to Hiccup, Dagur then said "Want to know a little bit about that thing over there?"

Hiccup narrowed his eyes, glaring at Dagur.

"Oh, right." Dagur laughed, slapping his forehead "I forgot you're gagged." Reaching over, Dagur pulled the gag down. "You know what, I'll untie you too. No need to be hostile anymore."

"Dagur, you're playing a dangerous game." Hiccup breathed out, not taking his eyes off of him and feeling the ropes fall off "When the rest of the riders learn that you have me and Heather, they'll be here before you can even get halfway to where ever we're going.

"Classic Hiccup." Dagur replied, shaking his head "Always playing the noble hero and confident dragon tamer." Dagur then reached down and pulled Hiccup onto his feet "Come on, I'm sure your mind is itching to see what my new toy is."

Hiccup, being forced to, followed Dagur to the giant crossbow. Standing behind Dagur and folding his arms, he waited for him to start talking about it.

"This is what I call, The Black Curtain." Dagur said proudly, walking behind it "If you thought my chain launcher's had range, this little gem puts them to shame!"

"And?" Hiccup asked, not entirely impressed "What's this have to do with you keeping Tide Gliders at your fort?"

"Ah yes, them." Dagur said, turning to Hiccup "It seems you've learned a lot about my latest adventures."

"Since most of them involved me and my friends." Hiccup huffed, rolling his eyes. Refocusing on Dagur, he then asked "What are you up to Dagur?"

"Well, I guess since you asked nicely." Dagur laughed. Turning to Savage, who just walked up, he then ordered "Set sail. Head back to the Forbidden Vale."

"Yes Dagur." Savage saluted, turning around promptly and started to issue orders.

Returning his attention to Hiccup, he then said "You see Hiccup, I wasn't idle for the short amount of time I had the Dragon Eye. What do you know about the Tide Gliders?"

"We were still translating the text." Hiccup answered, watching the skies in hope of seeing any of his friends.

"Don't count on your friends Hiccup saving you." Dagur said, seeing Hiccup scan the sky. Feeling the ship begin to move, he then added "I'm planning on them coming. That's why I brought one of my Black Curtains with me. In fact, I was hoping to capture you all when you raided my dragon prison."

"You were expecting us!?" Hiccup shouted, staring at Dagur in shock.

"I was. That's why I had them! They were supposed to be a trap for all of you. I just didn't account for that punk kid Matt having a Skrill." Dagur growled "Though it makes sense now. The powerful Wasatch had to be the Skrill. A shame that my men couldn't hold onto the two of them when he literately flew to them."

"Pure chance that happened." Hiccup replied, glaring at Dagur.

"Whatever you want to think Hiccup." Dagur said, shaking his head. "Anyways, since you distracted me, want me to show you what the Black Curtain can do? Just so you're not surprised when you see your friends drop out of the sky, one by one."

Hiccup didn't say anything, he just kept on glaring at Dagur.

"By your silence, I'll take that as a yes!" Dagur laughed, grabbing the handles of the Black Curtain. Swinging it around, he then said "It can pivot all the way around, allowing me to strike from any direction!"

"Great. Congrats." Hiccup said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"It has incredible range. I once hit a dragon about a quarter of a mile away!" Dagur laughed, taking aim at an imaginary target. Swinging the contraption around, he then pointed it at Hiccup and said "And this is what it does." At that, he pulled the trigger, releasing the powerful springs and its payload.

Hiccup jumped back as he saw the cylinder open up and revealed a heavy mesh of a net. Feeling it wrap around him from head to toe, he quickly fell to the deck, struggling to get out. The tight mesh had incredibly small holes, not even a centimeter big. Not being able to see a thing, he felt someone open up the net where his head was. Seeing daylight, Hiccup stared at Dagur's smiling face

"Well? What do you think? It'll wrap all the way around a dragon, as well as its rider." Dagur laughed, kneeling down at Hiccup.

"How did you make this!?" Hiccup asked, still dazed at how fast everything happened and being unable to move.

"You know, since I raided The Reaper for anti-dragon equipment, I found some blueprints for some interesting concepts." Dagur laughed, unwrapping the net around Hiccup "I originally wanted you to help me modify it, which is why I needed you when Heather captured both you and Astrid."

"Seems you didn't need me after all." Hiccup grunted, feeling the mesh-like net loosen. It was something he never seen before, even felt before; whatever Dagur found on the Reaper, it was definitely designed to take down any kind of dragon. Even a Night Fury.

"Well, you're right." Dagur said, nodding in agreement. Pulling Hiccup out of the net that cocooned around him, he then said "I now need you for something else."

"I'll pass." Hiccup huffed, looking down at the net that was still wrapped around his metal leg.

"Even if your dragon's life is on the line?" Dagur asked, smiling at Hiccup "Or Heather's life as well?"

"Where is she?" Hiccup demanded, his attention quickly turning back to Dagur.

"Somewhere on the ship." Dagur replied simply. Motioning for Hiccup to follow, he then said "You know Hiccup. I'm sure you're hungry. Let's talk about what we can do for each other over something to eat. "

"I'm still not going to help you." Hiccup called out, even though he knew Dagur had the upper hand.

"Well, even if I kill Heather and your precious dragon," Dagur replied calmly, though a vein began to bulge out of his neck out of frustration "When you're friends come here to rescue you, I'll simply take them down with the Black Curtain. I wonder how Astrid will fair against it."

"It won't stop them." Hiccup threw in defiantly "Especially Astrid."

"I think it will." Dagur replied with a shrug. Turning around, he then said "Come and eat with me, or stay on the deck. But if you choose the latter, Heather's good as dead. Honestly you're the only reason why I'm keeping her alive." At that he disappeared down and into the ship.

Being compelled to follow, Hiccup shook his head as he forced himself to walk. Dagur had him, even if he wasn't tied up, or in a cell; as long as Dagur had both Heather and Toothless, he was just as much of a prisoner to Dagur.

Walking by Toothless' cage, guarded by two Berserkers, Hiccup whispered to his dragon "I'm sorry bud. I'll get you out of there. One way or another."

Toothless just looked up at him, unable to growl or anything. Staring at Hiccup, he knew that Hiccup would keep his word.

"Come on Hiccup! If you want to learn what I'm doing with my Tide Gliders!" Dagur called out from down below.

Being pushed by one of the Berserkers, Hiccup reluctantly followed Dagur, praying that the others would come soon enough.

* * *

"Come on, just a quick walk around the Edge?" Matt asked, begging Astrid with his eyes "Seriously, I need to try and let loose some energy."

"Ugh, fine." Astrid groaned "But just a small one. You really need to let that wound heal up."

"Oh please Astrid," Matt huffed, rolling his eyes "I can't get stronger by just laying here. Besides, I do feel better after what Gothi did to me."

"Oh? Went from whining about her, to complementing her." Astrid teased, extending her hand to Matt.

Grabbing her hand, he felt himself gently pulled up. Slowly swinging his legs out onto the edge of the hammock, he then forced a smile as his side sent a small jabbing pain through his body. "Guh, this is like my leg. Only more frequent. And painful. And annoying." Matt grunted, slowly standing up.

"How is you're leg feeling?" Astrid asked, making sure Matt wouldn't fall.

"I wouldn't know. I haven't been on it longer than five minutes." Matt replied with a grin. Taking a step, he breathed out a long breath of relief.

"Feel good to stand up?" Astrid asked, walking to the side of him.

Tenderly, Matt walked out of Hiccup's room, stretching his arms as they both walked outside "Tons better! My leg feels fine and my back feels a ton stronger as well."

"Matt!" Fishlegs' voice sounded above them.

Turning to face his voice, Matt looked up to see Fishlegs on his platform, working on his rock garden with Meatlug. "Hey Fishlegs! Your rocks are…well, looking good!"

"Thanks! Just getting it all set up for when we leave." Fishlegs said loudly. Pointing to Matt, he then asked "How's the wound?"

"Better! 'specially now that Gothi worked on it." Matt answered, looking around Dragon's Edge "Say, have you seen Wasatch? I'd like to see how he's doing."

"Check by the Hanger. I think he was hanging out with Stormfly." Fishlegs answered, smiling at Matt "It's good to see you getting better!"

"Feels good to be getting better." Matt quickly added, smiling at Fishlegs. Turning to Astrid he then asked "Mind if we go find our dragons? Make sure they're out of trouble?"

"Sure, you seem to be doing alright." Astrid laughed, resting one hand on his back, just to make sure he would be able to walk.

"Oh Astrid!" Fishlegs called out "If you see Hiccup, tell him I'm almost done translating the Dragon Eye! On that bit with the Tide Gliders!"

"Will do Fishlegs." Astrid replied, smiling at him "Just make sure Meatlug doesn't eat it."

"Oh come on Astrid!" Fishlegs replied "Meatlug doesn't eat everything she sees!"

Laughing, Astrid and Matt began to walk towards the hanger. After walking up the ramp than led straight to the hanger, Matt turned to Astrid and said "Thanks Astrid. For helping me."

Smiling at the gratitude, Astrid just nodded her head and said "For what you were willing to do for us Matt, this isn't a problem. I'm glad to help."

Walking through the massive doors, they saw both their dragons sleeping at the end of the hanger, against the wall. Matt laughed at seeing Wasatch napping, to which he shouted "Wasatch! Wanna say hi bud?"

Wasatch's head shot up, hearing Matt's voice. Roaring out of happiness, the Skrill stood up and ran to Matt. Ramming his head into Matt's stomach, he would have knocked him down if Astrid hadn't braced him.

"Gaahh!" Matt groaned, stepping back at the hit. His side lit up with pain, but quickly died away "Hey bud! Good to see you again!"

"You ok Matt?" Astrid asked, looking at him with concern. Being his brace, she could feel how hard Wasatch hit Matt.

"Never been better." Matt replied loudly, starting to scratch Wasatch's forehead. Feeling a small jolt of electricity shoot through him, he started to rub the dragon's head vigorously "I wish I could go ride you right now boy, but I'm basically under house arrest."

"At least until tomorrow." Astrid laughed, lightly hitting Matt in the shoulder "I have to say that you do look a lot stronger. Even from when you woke up this morning."

"Thanks Astrid. I know I'm getting better." Matt laughed, pretending that her light tap hurt "I guess Wasatch could have done worse to me than just rolling over me huh? I mean, he could have sent a lightning bolt into the square of my back! Could you imagine what Skrill lightning bolt would have done to me?"

"It would have burned your back a bit." Astrid replied "But it's easy to think of what could have been."

"Yeah I guess it is." Matt whispered. Still petting Wasatch, he heard a dragon land on the Hanger's deck behind them. Turning around, he saw the twins dismount from Barf and Belch.

"Got all the boars?" Astrid asked, placing a hand on her hip and giving them a skeptical look.

"Yup! Every single last one!" Ruffnut said loudly.

"Didn't take as long as we were thinking!" Tuffnut followed up with.

"Where's Hiccup and Heather?" Matt asked, walking up to the twins, Wasatch closely following.

"They went for a small ride. I think to the North side of the island." Ruffnut replied, looking around "Hey, have you seen the chicken?"

"What chicken?" Matt asked, looking at Astrid with confusion.

"A chicken that Tuffnut found when we first came to this island. Been their pet ever since." Astrid explained. Looking at the twins, she then said "Haven't seen it."

"Great. Guess we're back on the trail." Tuffnut groaned, turning to walk down the ramp.

"Told you we should have brought it with us." Ruffnut said, resulting in her brother tackling her.

Rolling down the ramp, Matt and Astrid watched as the twins began to throw snow and whatever else they could at each other.

"Wow. They really never changed did they?" Matt observed, watching Ruffnut drive her brother's head into a small pile of snow.

"Nope." Astrid replied simply, shaking her head at the sight. Looking up at the sky, and then to Matt, she then asked "So, what do you want to do now?"

"You're not making me go back to bed?" Matt asked, looking at Astrid with surprise.

"You look strong enough." Astrid explained "Besides that, I think it does you good to walk around."

"Heh, well, I won't argue with you about that then." Matt replied with a smile "How about a walk down the bay. Near the arena?"

"Sure. Doesn't bug me." Astrid said, shrugging her shoulders. Walking down another ramp, she then said "I wonder what Hiccup and Heather are doing now."

"Hmm, you're not jealous of her are you Astrid?" Matt asked, a shrewd grin growing on his face.

"Wha-What!?" Astrid exclaimed, staring at Matt with wide eyes. She acted like she just saw the Red Death again.

"You're jealous!" Matt shouted, which he instantly regretted, feeling his side light up with pain at the excitement. Grimacing, Matt shut one eye to help cope with the pain while he gripped his side. Still forcing a smile, he looked at Astrid who was in shock.

"No! That's not what I meant at all!" Astrid quickly defended, shaking her hands in a way that tried to cancel Matt's thought "I was only wondering where they went!"

"Really? I guess you could have meant it that way." Matt chuckled, resuming the walk down to the bay "I mean, they are flying together; which means lots of time to talk, get to see pretty views, and plenty of alone time."

"Matt." Astrid breathed, getting her composure back "I don't care how injured you are. If you don't drop this subject, I will make sure I hit you so hard, you'll go back to where you came from."

"Come on Astrid!" Matt laughed, ignoring the threat "This is the second time you got defensive talking about Hiccup!"

"Matt!" Astrid shouted.

"Wasatch! Protect me!" Matt laughed, trying to get away from the angry Astrid.

Before she could react, a roar sounded from the tree line above. Turning towards the sound, she listened for it again. It sounded familiar.

"What was that?" Matt asked, stopping and looking around. Wasatch at this time landed next to him, also looking around.

"I don't know…" Astrid replied, eyeing the woods "But it came from there."

"What kind of dragons do you have here again? Night Terrors?" Matt asked, looking at Astrid with concern "Isn't that what they're called?"

"Yeah, but they're nocturnal. Not only that, they don't sound like that. It's more of a screech." Astrid replied, starting to walk towards the forest. Stormfly then landed behind her, ready to back her rider up.

"I'm coming with you." Matt said, walking with her.

"No. Get back to Dragon's Edge." Astrid ordered, not talking her eye off her destination "I'll be faster on my own."

"Really? You sure about that?" Matt said, his voice sounding smug.

Turning around, she saw Matt sitting on Wasatch. "Matt! What are you doing!? You need to rest!"

"Come on Astrid!" Matt huffed, rolling his eyes at the comment "I'm fine! Wasatch will take care of me. Besides, who knows what that roar belongs to. You might need another dragon to back you up."

Crossing her arms, she then said "Fine. Only because you're already here and you won't do what you're told to. But if your back is hurting, you're going home. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am" Matt replied, smiling at Astrid "You're funny when you're angry. You know that right?"

"Matt. When you're better. You're gonna wish Wasatch rolled over you again." Astrid threated, shaking her head out of frustration. Turning to Stormfly, she leapt onto her saddle in one motion. Making sure she was secure, she then shouted "Go Stormfly!"

"Easy Wasatch!" Matt shouted, feeling himself propelled into the air. Matt grunted as he used his back muscles to balance himself. Though he wasn't standing like he usually does, riding on the neck of Wasatch still took plenty of muscles to balance.

"Keep an eye out on the ground. It sounded like it was stressed. Like it was injured to something." Astrid shouted, scanning the ground.

"Got it." Matt replied, looking to his right. Whatever it was, it put Astrid on edge, something that doesn't happen too often. Not seeing anything, Matt then asked "What are you thinking Astrid? Somethings got you worked up a little."

"I don't know…it just sounded so familiar." Astrid replied, still scanning the ground "I can't really think of what it was though."

Matt just followed Astrid, unable to think of something to say. Shaking his head, he continued to scan the ground. Banking slowly right, he started to follow a small stream, when he heard Astrid shout "Matt! It's Windshear! She looks injured!"

Matt instantly hugged Wasatch's head, careful of the spikes. Banking left, he ignored the pain that shot through his side. Seeing where Astrid landed, he coaxed Wasatch to do the same. Cutting through the trees, he gasped as he saw. There was Windshear, caught up in some rope. Her tail was tied to her left rear foot, and the rope was hopelessly tangled to some small brush, anchoring the strained dragon.

"Easy girl! Easy!" Astrid cried out, trying to get close to the crazy dragon. Turning to face Matt, she then said "Good news is that she isn't hurt. Just trapped."

"Well, at least we're good there." Matt said quietly, staying seated on Wasatch.

Seeing Astrid and Stormfly, as well as Matt and Wasatch, the metal like dragon instantly relaxed; knowing that she was among friends. Watching Astrid walk towards her, she fidgeted anxiously, facing the bolas that anchored her down to the brush.

"I'm not seeing anything out of the ordinary. I don't think she was caught in a trap near here." Matt began to say, looking around "She had to have flown here."

"Or ran here." Astrid replied, resting her hand on Windshears' nose "Dragons can't fly without their tail. Hers was tangled in the rope." Making sure the Razorwhip was calm enough to work around her, Astrid then slowly drew her knife and walked to the rope. The sharp knife made quick work of the rope, and Windshear was instantly on her feet and stretching her wings.

"Alright girl," Astrid whispered, petting Windshear gently "Why don't you show us where Heather is?"

Windshear roared, understanding what Astrid had asked, Windshear spread her wings and launched into the air.

"Come on Matt!" Astrid shouted, jumping onto Stormfly "Follow that dragon!"

"You honestly don't need to tell me." Matt shouted, already in the air. With knowing that Heather was missing, and Hiccup and Toothless unaccounted for as well; his blood was pumping through his body, making him completely oblivious to the pain in his backside.

Following the silver dragon, Matt was surprised at the speed Windshear flew. He knew Wasatch could easily fly with the anxious dragon, but catching up to her was going to be work. Turning to Astrid, who was right behind him, he then said "I wonder what happened? Hiccup get in an accident or something?"

"No. I think someone's here on the island." Astrid replied, keeping her eyes on Windshear.

"How do you figure?" Matt asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We found Windshear tangled in bolas. Not a natural thing." Astrid quickly said, finally looking at Matt "On top of that, not only was Heather missing, but so is Hiccup and Toothless. Windshear may have just gotten lucky and escaped." Returning her attention to Windshear "If someone got the jump on them, then they could be in serious trouble."

Not saying anything for a moment, Matt just stared at Windshear. Shaking his head, he then asked "Do you think it was Dagur?"

"Who else would have done this?" Astrid asked, turning to Matt "He must have been waiting for a moment to strike!"

"I wish I could send a bullet into that guy's head." Matt whispered, letting anger control him. All this time, Dagur's been nothing but a pain; a thorn that felt impossible to remove. If he was here, chances were high that he had Hiccup, Heather, and Toothless.

"Look! Windshear's diving!" Astrid pointed out, putting Stormfly into a dive as well.

Pulling his thoughts back to the present time, Matt coaxed Wasatch to follow. Landing next to Astrid, he gently got off; with the pain in his side settling down.

Astrid was already scanning the ground. "Lots of tracks here. He had to be here." She began to say.

"I can guarantee he was." Matt said simply.

"How?" Astrid asked, looking up at him. Shocked, she saw what he was holding.

"A chain from one of his launchers." Matt answered, holding up the chain "That's probably how they ambushed Hiccup and Heather.

"Come on! We need to stop them!" Astrid shouted, running onto Stormfly.

"Wait! Astrid, hold up for a second!" Matt shouted, painfully jogging after her.

"What Matt? Time's against us!" Astrid said loudly, getting frustrated about the delay.

"Think for a second!" Matt replied, holding his side "I don't know him very well, but I do know Dagur is a super smart guy; at least when it comes to planning for future events. Wouldn't you agree?"

Rolling her eyes, she then huffed "Sure, I'll agree with you on that!" Glaring at him she then said "Come on! Let's get going!"

"And fly into Dagur's trap?" Matt asked "Astrid, he's planning on us coming after him! He wouldn't have come here to kidnap Hiccup and Toothless, with Heather, if he didn't have a plan or a way to make sure he keeps them! I can only pull the Wasatch being a treasure trick once!"

"Matt, if you don't want to come, that's fine by me." Astrid growled, climbing on Stormfly "But Stormfly and I are going to save our friends!" At that, she and Stormfly took off, following Windshear.

"Astrid!" Matt shouted, watching her get farther and farther away "Dammit!" He screamed, ticked off that she wouldn't listen to him. Jumping on Wasatch, and ignoring his side, he then shouted "Get to her Wasatch! We got to stop her!"

Wasatch roared, accelerating to catch up to the already distant Astrid.

* * *

"They do what?" Hiccup exclaimed in shock.

Sitting at the table with Dagur, he still refused to take anything to eat; not wanting to give into Dagur's hospitality.

"They have some kind of healing trait in their saliva." Dagur said again, pouring himself a drink "At least, that's what the Dragon Eye said."

Hiccup took a second to think of this. Looking back up at Dagur, he then asked "So why are you interested in this? " Then with a sarcastic tone, added "I personally thought you were into injuring others, not helping them."

"Seriously Hiccup. Where's your imagination." Dagur asked, shaking his head at the question "I told you that I found blueprints of dragon trapping equipment right?"

Hiccup nodded, recalling the conversation earlier; and experiencing one of the traps himself.

"Well, it also had, uh, I'll call them recipes." Dagur smiled, taking a bite out of some fish. Talking with his mouth full, he then said "One such recipe, mmhm, this is good. You sure you don't want any?"

Hiccup frowned as Dagur pushed the plate of fish towards him "No. I'm pretty sure I left my appetite back at Dragon's Edge."

"That's what you're calling that place?" Dagur asked "I guess to each his own." Swallowing his food, he then continued to say "One recipe calls specifically for two ingredients. Saliva from a Tide Glider, and the amber of a dragon called a Slithersong."

"A Slithersong?" Hiccup asked, folding his arms and pushing on his seat. Balancing on the two back legs of his chair, he then had a thought hit him. "You said amber of a Slithersong right?"

"Yes. Why?" Dagur asked.

"We found one a few months back. We called it a Deathsong." Hiccup replied. Then, trying to make Dagur think it'd be a waste of time, he added "I forgot what island it was on, but good luck trying to get it. It's impossible to get near. Well, without getting eaten."

"That's why I need you." Dagur replied "Since Heather stole the Dragon Eye before I could get their location, I need you to help me."

"Sorry to tell you Dagur," Hiccup began to say "I don't have the Dragon Eye on me." Smiling sarcastically, he then said "I could fly back and get it though."

Dagur frowned at the joke "Remember Hiccup. You're the only reason why I'm keeping Heather alive. How long she live depends entirely how long you stay being helpful to me. So, make sure you really don't know where you found the Slithersong, or whatever you call it."

Hiccup also frowned, realizing that Dagur was doing everything he could to find this dragon. Which meant he didn't have a lot of time to form a plan to get both Heather and Toothless free. "What kind of…recipe is this?" He asked, forced to give into Dagur's demand.

"How about I show you when I make it." Dagur laughed "It's supposed to be non-lethal. Supposed to be. I guess Heather and you're dragon will be the first to find out."

"You leave them out of this!" Hiccup shouted, standing up from his seat."

"Now why would I do that?" Dagur asked, a smile growing on his face after watching Hiccup lose his cool.

"If you do, I'll willingly help you find and catch this dragon." Hiccup said "I'll also let you test this, poison, on me. If you just let them go when we get you the Deathsong. Or Slithersong, whatever you want to call it."

Stroking his chin, Dagur thought about the offer. "I guess the reason I'm having a hard time agreeing to this, is that you already have no choice but to help me."

Hiccup's face grew dark. There was a no win situation for him.

"Dagur!" Savage shouted, running into the room where they were.

"Savage?" Dagur asked, looking at the panting Viking "What's going on?"

"Dragon riders! Coming this way and fast!" Savage replied "One is a Deadly Nadder and the other is a Skrill! Heather's dragon is with them!"

"Oh good!" Dagur laughed, looking over at Hiccup "I guess we get to see how well you're friends fair against the Black Curtain!"

"No! I'll help you!" Hiccup shouted "Don't hurt them!"

"I'm not going to hurt them Hiccup." Dagur laughed standing up from his seat "I'm going to capture them! Maybe." Turning to Savage he then said "Bring Hiccup to the deck."

Savage saluted him, and then walked over to Hiccup.

Letting Savage grab his arm, Hiccup desperately tried to think of way to warn them.

Getting dragged onto the deck, he saw Dagur was manning the Black Curtain, already aiming at Astrid, flying towards them.

"No!" Hiccup shouted, looking up at Astrid as she flew closer "Get away! Don't come near here!"

Matt, who was catching up to Astrid, could hear Hiccup shouting something. By the way Hiccup was struggling against those that held him, he then shouted "Astrid! Stop! Somethings not right!"

Astrid ignored Matt and Hiccup, focusing on Dagur who was aiming the thing at her. "Try shooting me this far!" She whispered, her eyes narrowing. She mentally prepared herself to dodge whatever was being aimed at her.

The mechanism quickly snapped, and before she knew it, she saw a black net like thing fly towards her at record speed.

"What the!? No!" She shouted, feeling it wrap around her and Stormfly. Stormfly also squawked as she struggled to get out of the net.

Hiccup watched in horror as Stormfly quickly fell down towards the ocean, crashing into it.

"Astrid!" He shouted, kicking Savage in the shin. Feeling himself released, he then sprinted towards the side of the ship. His heart was pumping, terrified that he might lose Astrid. Focused on where the splash was, he felt himself get knocked over and grabbed. "Get off of me!" Hiccup screamed, trying to fight the men who grabbed him.

"Toss him in a cell." Dagur ordered "And get going to the Forbidden Vale. We'll pick up the rest of our fleet and head to wherever the Deathsong is."

"What of the Skrill?" A Berserker asked, holding the struggling Hiccup down.

"What will it do? If it gets closer to us, shoot it down." Dagur answered, looking up at Matt as he stopped over where Astrid crashed. "Besides, he'll pass the message to the rest of the dragon riders about my new toy."

"Dagur! Let me help Astrid!" Hiccup pleaded "I'll do whatever you ask if you let me help her!"

Dagur laughed at Hiccup's cries, turning and walking away from him. "Just think of it this way Hiccup, Heather will suffer the same fate if you don't help me."

Hiccup felt himself helplessly dragged away, thinking that was the last time he saw Astrid.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: Retaliation**

"Astrid!" Matt screamed, as he stared at where Astrid and Stormfly disappeared under the surface of the ocean. He glanced up to see the ship keep on sailing, making no effort to stop and grab her or to try and shoot him down.

"Come on Wasatch!" He roared, knowing that Astrid only had less than a minute left. Guiding Wasatch, he then ripped his coat off and grabbed his knife from his Levi's pocket. Letting Wasatch hover over where Astrid disappeared, he then shouted "Stay here bud!" At that, he jumped off of Wasatch.

Crashing into the water, Matt felt the icy coldness pull his breath out from him. Forcing himself to get his composure, he opened his eyes and looked down. The net was 5 feet under him and sinking. Kicking his feet, he swam to the bag of a net. Flipping his knife open, he grabbed what loose part he could and sliced it open. Bubbles floated out of it, making it hard to see. When it all cleared up, he found himself staring at Stormfly's face.

Stormfly's muffled squawk in the water let him know she was happy and relieved to see Matt. Ignoring the dragon, Matt continued on slicing the mesh even more so. His lungs starting to burn, to which he focused on where it needed to be cut, rather than just hacking at it. It honestly felt like the same stuff as a trampoline that. Slicing it down farther, he watched as Stormfly finally stretched the net off. Flapping her wings, she began to swim to the surface.

Caught in the current of Stormfly's flapping, Matt struggled to get back to the net. His side suddenly sent a lightning bolt of pain up his side, making him scream in agony as the sharp jabbing almost became unbearable. His muffled cries in the water made no affect in coping with the pain. Seeing the net begin to sink farther, but had a flash of relief as he could see Astrid tugging on her leg. Gritting his teeth, he tried to ignore the pain and the salt water in his eyes, while he kicked his feet to swim closer to her. As he got closer, he could see that she was struggling focusing, being without air for quite a while. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her up towards himself. Feeling that she wasn't moving with his pull, he looked down to see her boot was tangled up in the net and pulling her down with it. Glancing back at her, he could see that she was starting cough and begin fading; desperately needing a breath of air.

With his own lungs starting to feel like fire, Matt grabbed Astrid's leg and jerked it up with the net. Slashing the knife across the net, he cut her loose; but also cut her in the process as he saw some blood mix in with the water.

Hearing Astrid start to go silent, he grabbed her and pushed her up ahead of him. Kicking with all his might, he saw her break the surface. He started to feel himself black out, which he kicked even harder. His side was sending lightning bolts of pain up and down his back, making it more difficult to push himself even more so. Then, to his relief, felt his head also break the surface.

Wheezing for air, Matt quickly turned to see if Astrid was ok, which made him light headed as his body drank all the oxygen it could. Hearing her coughing and breathing deeply, he relaxed and focused on letting the water drain over his eyes.

Coughing, Matt looked up to see Wasatch still hovering above them. "Get Astrid back to the Edge!" Matt hacked out loud, feeling himself swallow salt water as a wave splashed him in the face.

Astrid glared at him, coughing out "While you do what? Swim there?"

Before Matt could reply, a force yanked both of them out of the water. Getting his sense of direction back, he looked up to see that Windshear had grabbed them with her front claws. Breathing out of relief, Matt saw Wasatch and Stormfly glide alongside.

Flying along, Matt couldn't but shiver as the air passed by. He was soaking wet in super cold water, flying in wintery weather, and he almost drowned while rescuing Astrid.

"Matt…" Astrid whispered, looking over at him "Thanks."

"We'll talk when we get back at the Edge." Matt huffed, seeing his breath "We need to get warm. Fast!"

* * *

The sun was setting over Dragon's Edge, casting a beautiful orange and red sky. The colors danced off the wave of the ocean, making a serene moment. Unfortunately, serene was the last thing on everyone's mind.

When Fishlegs and Snotlout saw Matt and Astrid being carried by Windshear, they quickly brought them into the main clubhouse and started a fire. The twins were helping take care of the dragons while Fishlegs ran to get Matt and Astrid blankets; Snotlout went to get more wood to make the central fire larger.

"Come on Astrid." Matt gasped, shivering from being near frozen and also fighting the pain that was shooting up his back. Shouldering Astrid as they walked into the room, he sat her down on a crate. Pulling off his soaking tunic that Hiccup gave him, he relished the few seconds as his body began to absorb the heat that was in the room. Focusing on Astrid, he saw her foot bleeding. "Ugh, let's see how good I got you." Matt said gruffly, kneeling down and gently pulling the boot off.

"Gah!" Astrid gasped, wincing in pain as Matt pulled off the boot. "Easy Matt!"

"I would, but then I remembered why you ended up like this in the first place." Matt quickly shot back, looking at the cut. Grabbing his tunic that lay next to him, he then began to clean the blood around the cut.

"Are you really going to be ranting on about that?" Astrid asked, wincing in pain as Matt wiped around the cut. The salt water wasn't helping either.

"Yup." Matt replied without missing a beat "I told you we'd be flying right into a trap. And what did you do? You went at them anyways."

"Matt, they had Hiccup and Toothless!" Astrid tried to protest, but was cut off.

"And Heather!" Matt yelled, slightly twisting her leg so he could get a better look at it "But you did exactly what Dagur wanted you to do. And you almost died because of it! Hell, Hiccup probably thinks you're dead!" Looking up at her with anger in his eyes, he added "What you did was something Snotlout would have done. I would have expected him to do that. But you Astrid, that was just stupid on your part."

"Are you done lecturing me?" Astrid asked, glaring at Matt "Or are you going to tell how bad my cut is?"

"It's not bad. It's not too deep either, just opened up a lot with all our activity." Matt answered. Unwrapping his bandage that was around him, he then said "Here, this should help."

"What about you?" Astrid asked, watching Matt take his bandage off.

"I'm not bleeding anymore. It's just a jabbing pain now." Matt replied, finishing unwrapping it around him "I'm a lot stronger now anyways. Besides, you need it more than me anyways." Wrapping the bandage around her ankle, he then asked "Did it hurt when I was moving it around?"

"It stung, that's it." She replied, feeling the bandage tighten around the cut. Then, looking down sheepishly, said "Thanks Matt. Really. If you hadn't been with me, Stormfly and I would have..."

"Drowned?" He finished for her. Tucking the bandage into itself, Matt gently swatted her leg to let her know he was done "I did what I had to Astrid. I was scared." Looking up at her with a worried look, he then said "You're my friend. You know what I'd do for you. And what I'm going to do for Hiccup."

"Guys! I got some blankets!" Fishlegs shouted, running in the room. Seeing Astrid's bandaged foot, he gasped and asked "Are you alright Astrid? What happened?"

"I'm fine Fishlegs." Astrid replied, taking one of the blankets from him. Draping it over herself, she then said "We'll explain everything in a little bit."

Handing Matt a blanket, he then asked "I hope it's not serious."

"I'm afraid it is." Matt replied, taking the blanket. Wrapping it around himself he then said "I'm actually pretty hungry though."

"Don't worry. I'm making some soup that's just about done right now!" Fishlegs replied. Running out of the room, he then shouted "I'll be right back!"

Matt then slowly took a seat across from Astrid, pulling the blanket tightly around him.

"You still angry?" Astrid asked, looking over at Matt.

"Want to take a guess? Or let me tell you?" Matt asked, staring into the fire, basking in the heat.

Sighing, Astrid was about to say something, only to be interrupted by Snotlout carrying an armful of wood.

"So, tried to go for a romantic swim in the middle of winter?" he joked, smirking at them.

"No!" They both cried out in shock. Blushing a little at the topic Matt just turned away from Astrid. Which Astrid did the same thing.

"Relax, I was just kidding. Lovebirds." Snotlout laughed. The comment made them blush even more so. Glancing at Astrid, Matt couldn't help but think about the past few days. Yeah, he spent a lot of time with Hiccup, but he also spent a lot of time alone with Astrid. They also talked a lot about personal things. He could see why Snotlout would tease them about that. "I wonder what the others think?" Matt thought to himself "What does Hiccup think?"

Snotlout dropped the wood he was carrying in the fire, which he then turned back to them and asked "So what happened?"

"We're waiting for at least Fishlegs to return." Astrid said, facing the fire that started to get larger.

Seeing her bandaged leg, Snotlout then asked "What happened to your leg!? Is that why you're wet?"

"I said I'd explain it later." Astrid replied, getting tired of explaining that they'd explain later. Shaking her head, she then turned to see Fishlegs and Meatlug walk in.

"Here you guys go." Fishlegs replied, handing a bowl of soup to both Astrid and Matt "This should help warm you guys up."

"Great! He's here!" Snotlout said, turning back towards them "Now wanna tell us what happened to you guys?" Snotlout asked, with his arrogant attitude.

"I don't know." Matt grunted sarcastically, looking at Astrid. Taking the bowl of soup, he added "Why don't you tell them Astrid? I mean, I'd like to know what happened myself."

"I get it Matt." Astrid replied softly "You were right, I was wrong."

"What I don't understand, is that you saw and heard Hiccup! Why didn't you fly away?" Matt shot back, to which his side lit up with pain. Gritting his teeth, he stopped talking and focused on fighting the pain.

"How did you save me with your side!?" Astrid asked, looking at Matt with concern "Let alone help me in here?"

"Honestly, I don't know. It was killing me the entire time I getting you out." Matt groaned, his eyes clenched shut "I saw you in trouble and did what I had to. It was a long ride back too, trying to cope with it. Frankly, I was hurting when I was bandaging the cut. How's it feeling now?"

Astrid looked down at her bandaged foot and said "It's not bad. I bet I can stand on it normally."

"Can you please tell us what happened!?" Snotlout cried out, interrupting Matt's and Astrid's conversation "Instead of talking like we're not here!"

Sighing, Astrid scooted closer to the fire that was lit in the center of the room they were in. Taking a few seconds to think over what happened, she then said "Hiccup and Heather were captured by Dagur."

"What!? How did he get here!?" Snotlout asked in surprise.

"I don't know. All we know is that he has Toothless as well. Windshear was able to escape, which is how we knew they were in trouble." Astrid answered "Matt wanted to think of a plan, while I…"

"She got carried away with stopping Dagur." Matt finished for her, realizing she was beating herself up.

"Yeah," Astrid agreed "I flew right into their trap."

"A hidden catapult?" Fishlegs asked.

"No. Something new." Shaking her head, Astrid explained "It launched a net at me so fast, I only remember seeing it fire and then getting wrapped up in it."

"How far were you?" Fishlegs asked, looking at her with concern.

Shaking her head, she shrugged "Not far enough I guess. If it was a chain launcher or anything else, I would have been fine."

"It's clear that it's new stuff." Matt threw in, spooning in his soup. Feeling the warmth from the inside out, he then looked over at Fishlegs and said "And I imagine he's made more than just the one too."

"I agree." Astrid seconded "With something that fast and with that much range, he's bound to make more!"

"So you got hit with this…weapon." Snotlout said out loud, bringing the group back to tell the rest of the story.

"Right, well," Matt then began to say "After Astrid was hit with the net, eh, it was more of a tight mesh. Well, it wrapped her and Stormfly up."

"Which we both fell into the ocean." Astrid finished, looking up at Fishlegs and Snotlout.

"Ah, that's why you guys were wet when you got here." Fishlegs observed.

"Yup." Matt simply replied "I jumped in the water to help and was able to cut the net off. Cut Astrid's leg on accident, but it's better than drowning."

"Hear hear…" Astrid replied quietly, drinking some of the soup from the bowl.

"So, what do we do now?" Fishlegs asked, looking at everyone. "We know Dagur's behind this, so what's our next move?"

The twins promptly arrived, with Tuffnut shouting "We burn all their ships until they give up!"

"Where did you guys come from!?" Matt asked out loud and in surprise.

"Please, we know when we're needed." Tuffnut answered. Looking around he then repeated "So we burn and destroy all their ships! Sound good?"

"We can't get near them!" Astrid quickly said, glaring at Tuffnut "You know, with their new weapon!"

"Oh." Tuffnut replied, stroking his chin as if that would help him get a better idea "So…no burning and destroying?"

For the first time since they returned, no one said anything. Hiccup was usually the one with the plan. Looking at each person, Snotlout then said out loud "Well, if you'll excuse me. I have a cute girl to go save."

"Snotlout, don't even think about it." Matt quickly said, watching him stand up and start walking out.

"Come on Matt." Snotlout said loudly "We obviously don't have a plan, can't really think of one."

"Said the person who doesn't do a lot of that to begin with." Astrid huffed, glaring at Snotlout.

Ignoring her, he then said "I'm not going to sit here and let Dagur get farther away with Heather!"

"Yeah, never mind Hiccup." Fishlegs whispered, rolling his eyes.

"Are you stupid Snotlout?" Matt asked, looking at him in disgust "Did you not hear anything that we just said?" Standing up to him and letting the blanket fall off, he then said "That thing will shoot you down even faster than Astrid! You're a bigger target for Dagur!"

"So what? We just sit here and wait!?" Snotlout shouted.

"Of course not!" Matt cried out, rolling his eyes. Turning to Astrid, he then said "Since I've been here, we've only been playing by Dagur's rules."

"That's usually because he's the one causing everything!" Fishlegs quickly shot out.

"And you know what, I'm sick of it." Matt replied loudly, facing Fishlegs. Groaning as his side gave him grief, he then said "Do you know what freestyle boarding is?"

"No. I'm guessing it's some kind of snowboard." Fishlegs replied, folding his arms.

"It's a race. From point A to point B." Matt said, gently walking around to try and soothe the pain "The thing is, you can do any kind of trick, turn, or maneuver that you want. Anything that you feel would help you."

"What are you getting at Matt?" Astrid asked, looking up at him.

"I'm saying that Dagur thinks that he has us on one course. His course. What he doesn't realize that it's a freestyle race. Let's change the rules up on him! Let's put him on the ropes!" Matt said excitedly, facing Astrid.

"I agree with you Matt." Astrid began to say, standing up as well. Limping slightly because of the cut, she then said "But that's a little hard for us to do while he has three hostages."

Thinking for a second, he then asked "What's his favorite possession? Like what drives him?"

"Being in control." Fishlegs threw out, which Snotlout quickly scoffed at.

Looking at Matt, Snotlout said "He loves being violent."

"Yeah! Violence!" Ruffnut shouted, fist pumping at the word.

Tuffnut then said "Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying, we take away his violence with our violence!? Awesome…"

"Tuffnut…" Astrid groaned, shaking her head "No. It's not violence, or control." Looking at Matt, she then said "Its power. He want's power."

Nodding, Matt then asked "So…how does he get his power? I mean, what did he do to get what he has?"

"Well apparently he raided The Reaper." Astrid answered "It's where he got his dragon proof equipment."

"Plundered and pillaged." Fishlegs threw in "I mean, Heather's village was victim to that."

Thinking for a second, Matt then asked "What about his ships?"

Nodding, Astrid agreed, saying "He loves his fleet. That's all he's been building up since he escaped prison."

Walking over to the map that Heather roughly drew a few days ago, Matt then said "We still think that he's holed up here, right?" Placing his hand on the top right corner of the map, he turned to the others and asked "That's what we came up with right?"

"Yeah, that's what we all agreed on." Astrid confirmed, pulling the blanket around her tighter.

Nodding, Matt couldn't help but think of a possibility to really turn the tables on Dagur. Astrid saw this, seeing his face betray him. "What are you thinking of Matt?" She asked, walking up to him with a curious look on her face.

"I might have an idea. A crazy one. Frankly, I have Tuffnut to thank for the idea." Matt began to say.

"Uh…what just happened?" Tuffnut asked, looking at everyone in surprise.

Turning to the group Matt then asked "Dagur loves his fleet, right? I mean, that's what I heard."

"Of course. That's his biggest priority at all times." Fishlegs answered "Well, from getting Hiccup and Toothless."

"Alright Matt, stop delaying. What are you thinking of?" Astrid asked, smiling at seeing a small smile grow on Matt's face.

"We have to leave ASAP." Matt said, turning back to the group "If we get ahead of Dagur, beat him to his island. We can destroy his fleet before they have time to get ready." Looking at Astrid, he then said "Besides that, Dagur probably thinks you're dead. We can use that to our advantage."

"One concern Matt." Fishlegs said, raising his hand slightly.

"What's that Fishlegs?" Matt asked, looking at him with a smile.

"If we think there's more of those…weapons." Fishlegs began to say "Wouldn't we be flying right at them?"

"Yes we would." Matt said, nodding at the observation "But I plan on hitting these guys at night. Besides that, they won't be expecting a direct assault on them. We'll beat Dagur to them before he can get them ready to wait for us, wreck his ships, and flip the table on him. If we find those Tide Gliders he has, we can use them as a ransom for Hiccup, Heather, and Toothless!" Looking at everyone, he then said "What say you guys? Your call."

"I don't like using the dragons as a bargaining chip. Hiccup wouldn't like it as well." Astrid said, frowning a little at the idea.

"Well, you're assuming that I'm going to keep my word with Dagur." Matt smiled "I actually plan on screwing him over like he has to you guys over and over again." Looking at the group again, he then said "So, your guys' call."

Looking at each other, they all slowly nodded in agreement.

Astrid, who was smiling at the idea, then said "You know, it's a good thing we still have a Haddock with us. They do come up with some good plans. Crazy. But good plans."

"Right, we leave tonight." Matt said with a smile. Looking at Astrid, he then said "Might want to change your clothes. You know, since they're still wet."

Shaking her head, Astrid just smiled at his stupid joke.

Turning back to the map, Matt whispered "Alright Dagur, let's see how you like it when you lose what you love."

* * *

Gliding along the surface of the ocean, Matt turned to see Snotlout and the twins gliding silently behind him. They've been flying almost the entire night, under the full moon that shown down on them. Returning his focus to what was ahead of him, he saw Fishlegs leading the group. Since he was the best one with directions, it only made sense that he lead. Looking down at Wasatch, he couldn't help but smile at him. Though he was better, Matt still rode on Wasatch's neck. Wearing his Snowboard pants and boots, he had his snowboard goggles hanging around his neck; since it was night and they were tinted. Looking down at his new tunic, he was grateful that Hiccup had a few extra. Having a hood attached to this one, he made sure he used it. With the cold wind blowing by, Matt wondered how Hiccup and everyone else could fly their dragons regardless of season.

Shivering, he pulled up the tunic to stop the wind from blowing down his chest. He lost his coat when he jumped in the water to save Astrid, which he didn't regret, but still wished he had something to cut the cold. Glancing to his left, he saw Astrid staring intently at what lay ahead. Sighing, Matt coasted Wasatch closer to her.

Seeing him come closer, Astrid looked at Matt with surprise, wondering what he was doing.

"Listen, Astrid." Matt said, quietly enough where they couldn't be overheard "I…I uh...I'm sorry for being angry with you earlier. That wasn't fair of me to be that way right after you almost drowned."

"Matt." Astrid quickly said, smiling at him "You tried to stop me. You were right and I just didn't listen."

"But I shouldn't have been upset with you." He replied, shaking his head at himself.

"Matt, you were frustrated; and had good reason to be." Astrid replied with her usual smile "Don't worry about it, ok?"

"Fine." Matt said, putting on a smile "Thanks Astrid."

"No problem Matt." She said with a smile. Turning to face Fishlegs, she then called out "Hey Fishlegs, how much farther do you think we have?"

"Not much farther." He called out "I wouldn't be surprised if we see it shortly. But that's just me guessing. I'm not like Hiccup when estimating how far it is."

Hearing a growl to his right, Matt turned to see Windshear also gliding alongside of Wasatch. "Hey girl…" Matt said softly "I guess you're anxious to find this island as well."

"I think she's anxious to find Heather." Astrid replied, looking at Windshear with a saddened look.

"I hope she's alright…" Matt answered back, looking down at the ocean below "She was a real friend. I just wish I wasn't such a jerk to her."

"You had your reasons Matt." Astrid consoled, realizing that Matt was beating himself up for how he acted with her. "Frankly, you were the only one that was being cautious."

"When I didn't need to be." Matt shot back quickly "Don't you see Astrid? I didn't trust anyone when she came back to you guys. I didn't trust you, or Hiccup when you both said who she was! It took me to almost bleed to death for me to see that."

"And?" Astrid asked, unimpressed with the soap box tantrum "You made a mistake Matt. So what? I made a huge mistake that almost cost both me and Stormfly's lives!" Stormfly growled as if seconding her rider. Smiling, Astrid reached down and rubbed Stormfly's neck. "I don't know why you're beating yourself up Matt. You didn't do anything wrong! Maybe you didn't do anything right, but it's easy to have regrets when you know something now, that you didn't know in the past."

Staring at her, Matt finally let a smile grow on his face. Shaking his head, he then said "Astrid, I don't know how you did it, but that was exactly what I needed to hear. I definitely have some regrets, that's not a question. But you know what, I guess I'll let it help make my decisions in the future."

"That's all you can do." Astrid threw in with a smile. Laughing she then added "I guess we're even now. You give me some words of advice and I'll do the same."

"Yeah, I guess we are." Matt chuckled. Then with a wide smile, said "But you do realize that I saved you twice since I've been here right? We're still not even on those occasions!"

"Hey! You two lovers up front!" Snotlout shouted, drawing both of their attentions to him as they blushed at the comment. "Finally! I've been trying to get your guy's attention the last few minutes!"

"We're used to ignoring you." Astrid quickly said "Sorry for being in that habit."

Scowling at her, Snotlout then asked out loud so that everyone could hear him "So, I hope there's a plan of attack when we find Dagur's fleet. I mean, even if we get the surprise on them, we're still outnumbered by, oh I don't know, a lot!"

"Ah, I do have an idea actually." Matt said out loud "I know some of you won't like it, but I think it'll be the best way to hit them hard and fast."

"Go on…" Astrid said warily, not liking how Matt set the tone.

"Let me go first and-" He began to say, which instantly caught flak from everyone.

"Are you insane!?" Astrid yelled, not believing what she was hearing "Did you not learn anything from last time we went on a raid?"

"Matt! You almost died last time you went alone!" Fishlegs shouted, turned completely around in his saddle.

"Oh good, another hero move." Snotlout groaned, shaking his head "That's my job!"

"Cool! Dibs on your dragon when you die!" Ruffnut shouted.

"Hold up and listen for a sec!" Matt shouted, annoyed that he couldn't finish his thought "What I mean by me going first, is let me have a thirty second head start of you guys. Wasatch can strafe an entire line of ships, getting everyone's attention."

"While we do what exactly?" Astrid asked, still not like the idea of Matt going alone.

"Form up alongside each other." Matt answered "Follow up behind me and strafe the ships. They'll all be trying to find me while you guys all come up behind them! After that, we can break off into teams and focus on specific ships. I just feel that we'll do more damage off the start this way."

Astrid didn't say anything. Though it was a good idea, she still didn't like the thought of Matt going ahead by himself. Again.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Matt then added "If you guys have a better idea, I'm all ears."

"I do actually." Astrid quickly said, looking over at Matt "I'm going with you. We still do you're plan, but I'm tagging along with you. If something unexpected happens again, I want to be in a position to help you."

Looking over at her, Matt knew he had no choice but to agree to let her come with him.  
"Fine. Only because you'd kill me if I didn't let you."

"So what are we going to do after we damage Dagur's fleet?" Snotlout asked "I mean, that's something we need to think about before he gets here."

"Well, assuming we find the Tide Gliders he has, we'll confront him and begin to negotiate with him." Matt quickly answered "He'll see how much we can do to him, he'll have to listen to us."

"Actually Matt, I think I have an idea with that as well." Astrid quickly said, turning to him.

"Go ahead. I'm all ears." Matt said, also facing her "What are ya' thinking?"

"You sound a lot like Hiccup, you know that right?" Shaking her head at the thought, she then began to explain "Dagur probably thinks I'm dead. Right?"

"Probably. I mean he left you wrapped up in a net, in the ocean. Matt summed up, not hiding the sarcasm in his voice "Yeah, I'd say he thinks you're dead."

"When you confront him with everyone else." Astrid continued to say "You guys should sell my death, make him really think he killed me."

"While you do?" Fishlegs cut in, looking over at Astrid with curiosity.

"Board his ship from behind." She replied simply "Heather and I did before, and since he's not going to be expecting me, I can probably bust Hiccup and Toothless out while he's busy with you guys. Then it'll be a piece of cake getting Heather!"

"I actually really like that…" Matt said, nodding at the idea "I'm sure Dagur would like to talk about how smart he is and such, it wouldn't be too hard to stoke his ego would it?"

"Dagur is the definition of ego." Fishlegs answered "Well, actually Snotlout it. Dagur's a close second."

"Hey!" Snotlout quickly shouted, which everyone laughed at.

"You think you can get Hiccup and Toothless? Maybe even Heather?" Matt asked, looking at Astrid with concern "I mean, you'll be going in by yourself. Exactly what you don't want me to do."

"But I have a better track record of doing things when I'm alone." Astrid quickly teased "I didn't almost get killed."

"Astrid." Matt replied somberly "I'm serious. Will you be ok?"

"Matt. I'm already dead." Astrid answered, reassuring him "I'll be fine! He'll never see me until it's too late! Especially if I find Heather first. She and I worked him over last time we raided him."

"Hey guys…" Fishlegs said slowly, getting everyone's attention "I think I found Dagur's fleet."

Looking ahead, Matt was surprised to see at least 30 to 40 ships anchored right next to an island. The full moon was plenty of light to see the ships all anchored near each other. The island they were next to was unique in of itself. It was heavily wooded with tons of rock pillars along the landscape and in the ocean.

"Form up guys." Astrid ordered, coaxing Stormfly to fly closer to Matt. Looking at him, she then said "I'm with you all the way."

"Good." Matt answered, watching the rest of the riders' line up behind them. "Let's give them a wakeup call they won't forget."


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chapter Eighteen: Ghosts, dragons, swords, oh my**_

Heather groaned as she began to feel her senses come back. Whatever she was laying on, it was soggy and wet. She could feel that she was cold as well. Cracking open her eyes, it took her a few seconds to realize she was staring at a grainy surface; like planks. Shutting her eyes tightly, she tried to rub her head that was pounding like a drum. She was surprised when she couldn't move her arms. Resting for a second, trying to cope with the pounding, she again opened her eyes; this time all the way.

She found herself laying on the damp deck of a ship. Gently looking up from where she lay, she could see that she was locked in a cell as well. "Great." She whispered to herself. Rolling onto her back, she then sat herself up and tried to figure out where she was. Where she was facing, she could see a small slotted window that she could look out of. Seeing waves splash up through the slots, she quickly figured out why it was damp where she was.

"Heather!" A voice called out to her.

"Huh?" She tried to reply as loud as she could, still working on getting her sense of direction.

"Behind you. Across the hallway." The voice said again. It sounded strangely familiar.

Turning her head, she realized that she was looking at the wall of her cell, which made her feel dumb since she was staring out of a window for a little bit. Looking across the way, she gasped as she saw Hiccup in another cell. Then it hit her. They were captured by Dagur.

Looking down at herself, she could see that Dagur never bothered untying her from the bolas that were still wrapped around her arms and legs.

"Easy Heather! Take it easy." Hiccup said gently, holding the bars that kept him locked up "Don't strain yourself."

"Ugh…Where are we?" She asked, looking around "Are we on a ship?"

"Yeah…" Hiccup answered softly.

With her vision clearing up, she could see Hiccup a lot more clearly. He seemed to have a tear stained face, his eyes looked red; probably from crying. His facial expression was that of depression and sadness. The only other time she saw that, was when Matt was basically fighting for his life when they were trying to stop him from bleeding.

"Are you hurting?" Hiccup asked, seeing that she was still in a daze.

"Just my head." Heather groaned, closing her eyes and lightly shaking her head "How long was I out for?"

"Almost all night." Hiccup replied, his voice portraying a saddened tone. Walking to the back of his cell, he promptly sat himself down.

"Great. Feels like I never got any rest." Heather groaned. Looking over herself, she could see that the ropes were hopelessly tangled up in each other, making it impossible to try and slip out of them. Sighing, she scooted herself back along the wall of her cell. Looking over at Hiccup she then asked "Do you think that we'll be able to get out of here?"

Hiccup didn't say anything. He just turned his head and stared blankly into space.

"Hiccup?" Heather asked, not sure how to take the silence "Won't everyone try to come find us?"

"They already tried." Hiccup whispered hoarsely, not looking up at her.

"What!? What do you mean?" Heather asked, not liking the news already. The sudden cry and shock left her head pounding even more so. Groaning, she looked back up to Hiccup who buried his head in his hands.

"I mean they tried to get us!" he cried out "Astrid and Matt tried to save us! But…"

"Hiccup." Heather asked, scared about how he was acting "What happened. Tell me what happened!"

Taking deep breaths, Hiccup looked up at Heather. Quietly, yet loudly enough to shock her whole body, he said "Astrid's dead Heather. Dagur…Dagur killed her."

Heather recoiled backwards against the wall. "No…no!" She cried out, realizing why Hiccup was acting the way he was "No she has to be alive! She has to be!"

Hiccup just let his head fall back into his hands, as he resumed to sob at the thought.

"How could he…" Heather began to say, but stopped. Her entire body was in shock, unable to really cope with the news. Astrid was the strongest of everyone. She was the one everyone depended on when times got tough and when the fight became hopeless. Feeling a numbing feeling, she then asked "What about Matt? Where's he?"

"I don't know. I was dragged away when Astrid was shot down into the ocean." Hiccup whispered "I imagine that he tried to save her, but the net that Dagur used; it's completely different than anything I've seen. I don't think Matt would have been able to help her with his injury."

"No…" Heather whispered, letting the numbing feeling run through her entire body. How could Dagur do something like this? Feeling anger run through her body, she just let her hate of Dagur run through her body. How could she have helped him before? Why did she refuse to see what he really was? He was the reason she lost her adoptive parents, and now her best friend.

"I don't know what to do Heather…" Hiccup sobbed "Dagur will kill you and Toothless if I don't help him find a specific dragon." Looking up at her, he then said "I don't want to lose another friend."

"Hiccup…" Heather began to say, realizing how Hiccup was feeling about Astrid.

"I have to help him. He said he'd do the same to you if I don't" Hiccup whispered hoarsely.

"Hiccup." Heather said again "Listen, I don't want to be used against you! I don't care what happens to me! Besides that, Dagur won't need you or me when he gets what he wants! We both know that. He's going to use you until you fulfilled your purpose!"

"Heather." Hiccup quickly said, stopping her "I told you. I'm not going to lose another friend. Not by my choice. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"Can you do that though?" Heather asked, looking across the bars to Hiccup "You're in a separate cell, while I'm tied up over here. Can you stop Dagur from hurting me?"

"If he wants me to help him, then yes. I can protect you." Hiccup replied resolutely "I promise Heather."

Before Heather could reply, some shouting sounded off above them. It wasn't orders or anything of that nature. It was panicked, as if something caught them off guard.

Curious about what was going on, Heather looked out of her little window. Smoke was in the air, creating a heavy haze all around them.

"What's going on Heather?" Hiccup asked, trying to look across and out of her window.

"I don't know." She said, trying to angle herself to get a better view "I just see a lot of smoke."

"Get them up on deck!" Dagur's voice shouted "I know they had something to do with this!"

Hiccup and Heather looked at each other, unsure of what was going to happen. The door to the room they were in was thrown open. Four Berserkers and Savage marched in.

"What's going on?" Hiccup asked, standing up as two of the Berserkers opened his cell door. Grabbed, his arms were forced behind him and tied behind. The other two that went into Heather's cell, cut the ropes around her legs. Forced to stand, she was then shoved out of the cell.

"Shut up and follow me." Savage ordered, turning around and walking out.

Pushed by the Berserkers, Hiccup and Heather walked behind him, unsure of what was going on. Dagur's voice was screaming, angry at something. The closer they got to the doorway, the louder he got.

"Well, something set him off." Heather observed, looking over at Hiccup.

"Shut up!" One of the Berserkers said gruffly, lightly pushing Heather.

"Don't touch her!" Hiccup barked, glaring at the Berserker.

"You shut up too!" The Berserker ordered again, glaring back at Hiccup "Dagur's not going to be a very pleasant to talk to."

"What happened?" Hiccup asked, looking at them in confusion.

"You'll see." The Berserker said, again, pushing Hiccup.

Stumbling past the doorway, Hiccup and Heather gasped at what they saw. Ahead of them, mixed among pillars of rock shooting out of the ocean, was a burning fleet of ships. Those that weren't sunk in the ocean, were burning furiously. The haze, now thicker as they sailed closer to the burning ships, created an eerie feeling.

"What did you do Hiccup!?" Dagur roared, marching up to him in anger.

"Dagur! What could I have done!?" Hiccup cried out "You can't blame this on me! I don't even know where I am!"

"Gah!" Dagur roared, stomping away. Looking over his burning fleet, with only a few surviving ships left. Looking back at Hiccup he then said "This can't be a coincidence. You had something to do with this! You've had to!"

"Dagur! I promise! I was locked in a cell all last night!" Hiccup cried out, staring at Dagur in disbelief "You captured Heather and I, when no one knew exactly where we were! Except for…" his voice waivered off.

Dagur just stared Hiccup down, still fuming. Then, quietly, he whispered "You better be telling me the truth. If not, Heather is going to be joining Astrid."

Hiccup's blood froze. He just stared at Dagur, with the wound of losing Astrid still fresh in his mind. Feeling an uncontrollable rage building up, he quickly kicked Dagur in the shin, causing him to step back. Not relenting, Hiccup then lowered his head and rammed himself into Dagur's stomach. Falling onto the deck, Hiccup felt himself grabbed and heaved backwards. Standing on his feet, he watched Dagur get pulled up by Savage.

"Be careful Hiccup." Dagur said, strangely calm. Walking over to him and Heather, Dagur then added "Because Heather won't survive the next time you hit me!" At that, he immediately back handed her, launching her back onto the deck.

"Leave her alone!" Hiccup cried, realizing what he did.

"Do I have you're cooperation?" He hissed, getting right up into Hiccup's face.

"Yes. You have it." Hiccup whispered, looking down from Dagur's gaze "Don't hurt her."

"Then help me get that Slithersong." Dagur growled. Looking back at Heather, who was struggling to sit back up, he then said "Let Hiccup look at a map. We're going to get our dragon now!" Turning to Savage, he then ordered him "Savage. I need you to go ashore and get a Tide Glider. We just need one. Kill the others."

"I'll get going right now." Savage replied, walking towards a boat that was ready to be lowered "We'll get one before the hour is through."

"Or, I could just give you one!" A voice called out above them.

Turning, everyone glanced up to the top of a rock. Standing there, partially cloaked in the smoke, was Matt and Wasatch. Behind him were three Tide Gliders, all tied down.

"You! You did this to me!" Dagur screamed, looking up at Matt.

"Matt! Get out of here!" Hiccup screamed, not wanting him to suffer the same fate as Astrid.

"Shut up!" Dagur roared, pushing Hiccup down onto the deck.

"I'd stop Dagur." Matt ordered, flipping his knife open "Every time you do something I don't like. I release a Tide Glider. I know you only had three of them."

"You do and Hiccup dies!" Dagur threw back.

"I doubt it." Matt said, unfazed by the threat "You need him. I overheard you." At that, Fishlegs appeared next to him, as did Snotlout and the twins. All of them were glaring at Dagur, angry at him.

Seeing their angry looks, Dagur then forced a smile "Ah, I see that Astrid isn't with you. Shame isn't it?"

Matt kicked a rock from off the edge of the cliff. Letting it land on the deck, he then said "Dagur. We will sink you're ship if you don't release Hiccup, Heather, and Toothless. If not, well, we get to do what we did to your fleet.

"Oh, don't you know that Heather doesn't care about you guys?" Dagur asked, turning to see Heather's face drop out of despair.

"Said the man who wants to tear us all apart." Matt huffed, rolling his eyes. Returning his look to Dagur, he then shouted "We're in control here. We destroyed your other weapons. Whatever you're calling them."

"Ah, the Black Curtain's?" Dagur answered "That's alright, I can just build more!"

"No. I'm afraid you can't." Matt answered, turning to Fishlegs. Being handed something, Matt lifted up a piece of paper. "We kind of took the liberty of…searching your little island. Besides finding your Tide Gliders, we found this. Look familiar?"

Dagur froze, staring at the paper. "That's…That's my-"

"Blueprints?" Matt asked, smiling down at him "Yup. Also, I found your um…ingredient list? Tide Glider saliva? Wonder what you need that for."

"I'll kill you!" Dagur screamed, exploding with anger.

"Snotlout." Matt said, ignoring Dagur.

Snotlout nodded, cutting one Tide Glider's free. The dragon launched into the air, and promptly dove into the water, disappearing from everyone's view.

"Heather's dead!" Dagur screamed, still staring at Matt.

"You sure about that?" Matt said, waving the piece of paper as a reminder.

Realizing he had no power in the argument, Dagur closed his eyes and swallowed his anger, wishing he killed Matt when he had the chance. "Fine." He growled "What do you want."

"Tell you what. Release Hiccup and Toothless and I'll talk about a negotiation." Matt said, loving the fact that he had Dagur on the ropes "Better hurry."

Dagur stared at Matt, a vein bulging out of his neck. Looking down, he then whispered "Untie Hiccup. Let Toothless out of the cage." Then, even quieter, he said "Savage. Prepare the catapults. Get ready to hit the pillar they're on. We're bringing them down.

"Yes Dagur." Savage replied, equally quiet. Walking over to Hiccup, he quickly sliced the ropes off and pushed Hiccup towards Toothless, who just had his muzzle taken off.

Hiccup quickly jumped onto Toothless, still not believing what was happening. Looking over at Heather, who was still sitting up on the deck. Scooting backwards, she put some distance between her and the rest of the Berserkers. Reluctantly, Hiccup launched Toothless into the air, flying right to Matt and the others.

"There. Now that I fulfilled your request, what will you do for me?" Dagur asked, looking back up at Matt.

"Not release a Tide Glider." Matt replied, his eyes narrowing "Besides that, you're not really in a position to make demands. We're all pretty pissed about what you did to Astrid."

Dagur glared at Matt, letting his rage build up. Unable to control it, he then shouted "I'll kill Heather right now! I swear it!"

"Snotlout!" Matt shouted, angry at what Dagur threatened to do.

Snotlout cut the ropes, letting the second Tide Glider fly off and, like the first one, disappear into the water.

"Last warning Dagur." Matt shouted "I promise, one more outburst like that, and I release the last Tide Glider, destroy your blueprints, and sink your ship."

"Fine." Dagur growled "What do you want?"

"Let Heather go. And give up." Matt bluntly said, knowing what Dagur would say "Simple yeah?"

"I'll let Heather go. Only if you give me my blueprints. But I won't give up trying to kill you." Dagur replied, glaring up at Matt.

"Well, you really have no choice." Matt said out loud, looking down at Dagur "Don't you see Dagur? We won! You don't even have anything to bargain with us!"

Hiccup then let out an audible gasp, staring at something on the ship. Eyeing him warily, Dagur slowly turned around and gasped at what he saw. "What in the name of Odin!?"

There on the deck, was Astrid, in the middle of cutting the ropes around Heather. Realizing her cover was blown¸ she quickly sliced two ropes at the same time, releasing Heather from the bolas.

"Stop them!" Dagur screamed, seeing Heather pull the ropes off of herself.

"Snotlout! Let the Tide Glider go!" Matt yelled, realizing Astrid ran out of time "Everyone! Help them out!"

"Don't let them land on the ship!" Dagur roared, running towards the Black Curtain.

"Oh no you don't!" Matt yelled, seeing what Dagur was doing, running to Wasatch.

Suddenly the ground shook, causing everyone to stumble, even the dragons. "What was that?" Snotlout shouted, lying on his side.

"Fire again!" Dagur's voice shouted. A second rumble rocked their pillar. "Keep shooting until that pillar's gone!"

"Hiccup! Help!" Astrid's voice shouted, bringing the group back to their feet.

"Come on bud!" Hiccup growled, jumping back on Toothless "We're not losing her again!"

Matt also leapt onto Wasatch, which his side quickly disagreed with as it lit up with a sharp pain. Gripping Wasatch's spikes, he leaned against his dragon as he tried to quell the jabbing pain. Then, he felt something drop under Wasatch's feet. The pillar they were on was starting to collapse with the catapults pounding the foundation of it. "Wasatch! Go!" Matt shouted, feeling themselves begin to fall down. Wasatch quickly caught himself in the air, starting to fly straight ahead. Breathing hard to try and curb the pain still shooting up his side, Matt heard another sound that stopped his heart. A heavy snap like sound, followed by a whooshing, sounded off to his right.

Time slowed down as Matt turned to see the mesh net open up and engulf both he and Wasatch. "No!" He screamed, though muffled as the net wrapped tightly around him, sucking him down onto Wasatch's neck. With Wasatch's spikes, the net didn't completely wrap around, but still tangled itself up on him.

Matt helplessly felt Wasatch fall out of the sky. Hearing the rushing air, Matt just waited for the inevitable splash. Instead, he heard the sudden thud of Wasatch landing on the ship. The sudden stop, while being pinned to Wasatch, forced all the air out of Matt. Struggling to breathe, Matt felt Wasatch struggle to get out of the net, causing him to roll around on the deck.

"Wasatch…" Matt exhaled, trying to breathe and talk at the same time. The feat created a sense of despair, feeling his dragon continue to rage. "Stop!" He wheezed, tapping on Wasatch to try and signal him to stop moving around.

"Don't let them near the Skrill!" He could hear Dagur's voice shout "Man the Black Curtain! Make sure they stay away from us!"

Matt could hear Wasatch growl, as if warning people from getting closer.

"Keep it alive! I want it." Dagur growled, sounding closer to Matt.

Shutting his eyes, he wished it was just a nightmare he was in. With what he did to Dagur, and his fleet, he knew death would actually be a sweet gift from him. His side was lighting up with pain, making it even harder to try and catch his breath. Sweating from the stress and the heat from being in the net, he just silently prayed.

Feeling the net around him get cut, he felt the instant relief of cold air rushing onto his skin. Unable to relish in the simple joy, he felt himself yanked off of Wasatch and thrown violently onto the deck of the ship. Sending a lightning bolt of pain up his leg and back.

"Matt!" Hiccup's voice sounded, causing him to look to try and find him.

"I'll take this." Dagur said, holding a sword to Matt, who was still in a daze. Kneeling down, he grabbed the paper that had the blueprints and ingredients from The Reaper.

"You're not going to win…" Matt heaved, starting to get a regular breathing pattern. Then a lot louder, he added "Even if you kill me, they're not going to let you go free!"

Dagur didn't say anything, but kept on staring at the paper. Looking up from his treasure, he saw all the riders hovering around the ship, ready to strike.

"Your Black Curtain can only take down one of us." Hiccup shouted, trying to scare Dagur into letting Matt go.

"One move Hiccup, and I won't care what happens to me. I'll kill him." Dagur growled, looking all around him.

Hiccup just stared at him, desperately trying to think of something.

"Let's see if you're more willing to negotiate. Unlike Matt here." Dagur growled, looking back at Matt.

"What do you want then?" Hiccup asked, seeing that everything went wrong. What seemed to be a perfect situation, quickly degraded into a situation that could end up with Matt being killed.

"First off. I'm keeping the Skrill. As collateral for the damage done to me and my fleet." Dagur said, not taking his eyes off of Hiccup.

"You leave him alone!" Matt growled, which he immediately stopped, when Dagur pressed his sword's tip into his chest. Feeling it dig into this skin, he quickly backed off by laying back on the deck.

Seeing Matt lay back down, Dagur then looked down at Wasatch, who was starting to radiate with lighting. The mesh net stopped most of it, but was still a threat to anyone that got close.

"This is the only deal I'll agree too." Dagur began to say, looking back up at Hiccup "You have to get me a Slithersong and a Tide Glider. Then I'll talk about trading Matt."

Hiccup looked at Dagur in anger, wishing he could think of a different way.

"On top of that, you'll give me all I need to rebuild my Black Curtains. Only when both requests are fulfilled, will Matt even have a chance." Dagur continued to say. Stepping on a section of the mesh that held Wasatch down, he stood on the Skrill. Wasatch raged even more, trying to arc lightning at the insane Viking.

"You stay here then." Hiccup then said out loud, angry to see Dagur treating Wasatch like a trophy "You don't leave this island until we get what you need."

Thinking, Dagur shrugged, saying "Fine by me. Gives me time to put my fleet back together." Narrowing his eyes, he then "You have one week. Better hurry."

Hiccup sat back on Toothless. One week to get all Dagur needed? It'd take a week to get to the Deathsong's island and take it back!

"We need more time! I won't delay Dagur, I promise! But we need more than a week to get you everything."

"I won't kill him when a week's up." Dagur answered, letting a cruel smile grow on his face. Turning towards Matt, who still lay there, he then said "But I think he'd really need to see a healer."

Hiccup stared at him helplessly. Dagur didn't want to release Matt to begin with. They needed to act to get Matt. It was the only way to save him. Wishing he could think of something, he glanced back at Dagur to see a pair of hands shuffling along the handrail of the ship, behind Dagur and his men. Quickly looking up at Astrid, he was shocked that he didn't see Heather riding with her. Realizing that it was Heather on the handrail, he knew that she was depending on him to keep Dagur distracted, he then asked out loud "What if I decline? What would you do?"

"Kill Matt right here." Dagur answered, annoyed at the question "Come on Hiccup, you know that."

"You see Dagur, I don't really believe you." Hiccup began to say, letting a fake smile grow on his face "You want to hurt him. Not kill him. We all know that."

"Then I'd let him scream in pain while you try to stop me!" Dagur roared back, planting both feet on Wasatch and staring down the party of dragon riders "My Black Curtain still works. How many of your friends are you willing to risk?"

"It's not a risk if we feel the same." Astrid quickly threw in, glaring at Dagur.

"Well, let's see what we can do then." Dagur growled, glaring at the riders "What'll it be? Should I end Matt now?"

"You can try!" Heather's voice called out behind him.

Whirling around, Dagur turned just in time to see Heather leap over the railing. Wielding a sword she quickly kicked him off Wasatch.

"Fire! Get Heather!" Dagur screamed, rolling on the deck towards his men.

Heather whirled around to see the Black Curtain aimed at her. "Now Windshear!" She yelled, preparing for the net to be fired.

While the man aiming the Black Curtain took a second to make sure his shot was true, that was all that was needed for Windshear. Flying around the remains of the rock pillar, she then grabbed the Berserker with her tail and threw him into the other Berserkers. Landing right next to Heather, she then slammed her tail into the Black Curtain, destroying it.

"No!" Dagur screamed, seeing the remains of his creation destroyed "Kill them!"

"Come on!" Heather shouted, yanking Matt onto his feet.

"Watch my back! I need to help Wasatch!" Matt yelled back, wincing in pain at the sudden movement.

The rest of the riders also began to help, strafing the deck and breaking up the group of Berserkers. Matt sprinted to Wasatch, still raging in the mesh net. Grabbing his knife out of his snowboard pants pocket, he quickly flipped it open with the spring assist in it.

"I won't let you live this time!" Dagur screamed, ignoring the blasts of fire all around him. Leaping over a trail of fire left by Hookfang, he raised his sword over his head, ready to bring it down on Matt. Heather then leapt at him, thrusting her sword out at him.

Forced to move away from the sword, Dagur rolled from Matt and Wasatch, glaring at Heather that stood in between him and them. Windshear then roared, sending a hail of quills at a number of Berserkers, trying to help Dagur.

"Keep them off of us Windshear." Heather instructed, not taking her eyes off of Dagur.

"Don't expect to survive Heather…" Dagur growled, readying his sword to strike at her "You don't have your axe. And you know I'm a better swordsman than you."

"I still won't lose!" She shouted, charging him with the sword raised. Bringing it down, she watched Dagur counter her strike as she expected him to. Using his counter, she countered his counter by turning her shoulder and driving it into his chin; forcing him to step back. Not wasting a second, she then swung her sword in an upper cut, which Dagur tried to move out of the way. He had barely done so as the sword slashed a long shallow cut up from his stomach to the center of his chest.

"Errgghhh…" He groaned, taking a few steps back. Placing his hand on the cut, he could see and feel that it wasn't deep. Looking up at Heather, who was ready to receive him, he then berserked and charged her. "That's it Heather! You're dead!"

"Keep talking. That's all you ever do." Heather spat back, redirecting his blow "I'll use my sword to talk for me!"

Back pedaling, she felt the ship get rocked as another explosion went off.

Both Heather and Dagur stumbled at the rocked ship. Feeling it begin to angle to the port side, Dagur used the slight elevation as an advantage. Doing the same as Heather did, he launched himself forward and thrust his sword straight. Swinging her sword to the left, she redirected the blow. Dagur then swung his free hand and grabbed her by her hood. Lifting with his might, he threw her towards the sinking side of the ship.

"Ooofff!" she grunted, landing hard on the deck. Feeling the cold water begin to rise, she quickly rolled to her feet and looked up in time to see Dagur running down at her. Pushing against the railing that kept her from falling into the ocean, she sprung out of the way as Dagur's sword sunk into the wood. Lifting her feet, she kicked him behind the kneecap, forcing him to collapse onto the deck.

"Gah!" he shouted, crashing into the raising water. Rolling over onto his feet, he saw Heather stand back up and ready herself for another charge. Pulling his sword out of the wood, he then glanced over at Matt, who just finished cutting most of the mesh off of Wasatch. Getting an idea, he then bolted at him, ignoring Heather.

"No!" Heather shouted, realizing that she was no longer in between him and Matt. Sprinting after Dagur, she let her guard down to make up the lost ground.

Matt looked up to see Dagur smile wickedly, he knew that he wasn't coming for him. "Heather! Stay back!" he shouted.

Too late to heed to the warning, Heather watched as Dagur quickly spun around, swinging his sword with all his might. Making a last ditch attempt to avoid the strike, she promptly fell to the deck. The sword made contact with her shoulder guard, shattering the blueish armor. "Ahh! My shoulder!" Heather shouted as she hit the deck, her shoulder lighting up in pain from the impact.

"Oh Heather." Dagur laughed, stepping on her chest to hold her down. Before he could finish his sentence, he ran his sword through her shoulder where the protective plate was.

"No!" Matt screamed, staring at what Dagur had done.

"Aggh! No!" She yelled in agony, letting go of her sword. Trying to control her breathing, with the surges of pain running up and down her arm, she tried to get the sword out of her shoulder in vain. Helplessly, she looked up at Dagur, knowing this was it.

Leaving the sword in her should and keeping her pinned to the deck of ship, he then said "You've become like Hiccup and his friends; weak, feeble, and easy to manipulate." Picking up her sword, he barely had time to look down at her when a force slammed into him from behind. "Oooff!" he grunted, feeling the wind get knocked out of him from the random force. Landing on the deck hard, he caught a glimpse of small metal blade held at his throat. Matt had completely superman tackled him, and was holding his knife to his throat.

"I should kill you!" Matt growled, letting the knife press tightly against his throat "But then what fun would Stoick and the others have?"

"You should have done it when you had the chance!" Dagur spat back, swinging the backside of his fist into Matt's head.

Stunned from the blow, Matt rolled off of Dagur. Trying to scramble back onto his feet, he felt Dagur grab him by his tunic and lift him up into the air. "Good-bye. Matt." Dagur hissed, letting the sword rest under Matt's chin.

"Wasatch! Now!" Matt roared, kicking Dagur in the stomach. Getting dropped, Matt saw a lightning bolt fire at Dagur.

With the force of Matt's kick, Dagur pushed off with his legs and launched himself off the deck and over into the water.

Crawling over to the side of the ship, Matt tried to find Dagur, but to no avail. He was gone. Finally relaxing, he turned to see Windshear standing over Heather, trying to help her rider. Seeing the sword still sticking through her shoulder, he quickly sprinted over to her as fast as he could. The ship was now dangerously angled, making it hard to traverse to her.

"Ugh, I can't feel my arm." Heather coughed, still trying to get the sword out.

"Hold still Heather." Matt shouted, crawling to her. Looking back at the water that was raising higher at a faster rate, he then said "We need to move! Now!"

"Yeah, just one problem." Heather groaned, shutting her eyes tight in pain "I…I'm pinned to the deck."

Looking at the sword in horror, Matt then said "Then hold still. This is gonna hurt a little."

"Do it!" Heather yelled out of pain, clenching her teeth shut. She knew what he needed to do.

Standing up the best he could, he grabbed the sword by its handle and pulled up on it. Heather shouted in pain as the sword finally came out.

"Come on!" Matt grunted, putting his arms under her "I'm not really wanting to save you from the ocean like I did Astrid." Picking her up, his side lit up with pain. Yelling out in agony, he dropped to his knees, trying to curb the pain and focus on getting Heather out.

Windshear then thrusted her head in front of Matt's face, worried about Heather. Fighting the pain, Matt walked on his knees towards the Razorwhip. "Wasatch! Cover me!" he shouted, knowing full well it would be impossible to ride doubles on his dragon. "Easy girl. Easy." He groaned, seeing Windshear get in a position to receive Heather. Shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth, he stood onto his feet, letting the pain surge through; he could feel the water lap at his ankles, soaking through his snowboard boots. Helping Heather onto her dragon, he then slowly stepped over Windshear's neck and sat down behind Heather.

"Go girl…" Heather whispered, feeling Matt get on behind her.

Windshear launched into the air, with Wasatch following closely behind. Breathing out of relief and to help try to curb the pain in his side, Matt turned to see the remains of the sinking ship. The remaining Berserkers were all swimming towards the island, either on wood remains of the ship or barrels. Sighing, Matt turned to Heather and got a good look at her shoulder. Seeing the cut had indeed been run through her entire shoulder, he quickly place his hand over the wound to try and slow the bleeding down.

"Agghhh!" She yelled in pain, also pressing her hand against her shoulder. Resting it on Matt's hand, she turned to head to look at him in shock

"It's ok. It adds pressure." Matt assured, not moving his hand.

Staring at him for a moment, she then nodded and said "Thanks Matt."

"Just returning the favor." He replied softly "I'd probably be wishing I was dead if you hadn't done what you did." Looking at the wound, making sure his hand was tightly pressed against it, he let the blood flow over his and her hands "Besides that, I need to repay you for what you did for me. Now it's your turn to shut up and relax."

"I can see why it was hard for you to do that." Heather whispered, smiling at the switch of roles.

"Matt!" Hiccup shouted, coasting Toothless alongside of him "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It's Heather I'm worried about." Matt called out, turning to face him "She took a sword through the shoulder!"

"What!?" Snotlout yelled in surprise, flying on the other side of Windhsear "Let me come and help!"

"I'm trying to stop the bleeding." Matt said, looking back at the wound "But we're going to have to touch down somewhere to really look at it."

"Right! Follow me then!" Hiccup shouted, urging Toothless to fly faster.

Astrid then flew in between Toothless and Windshear. Looking at Matt with concern, she mouthed "How bad is it?"

Matt just shook his head, shrugging at the same time. Honestly, until they landed somewhere, there was no way to tell.

Nodding, Astrid then focused on flying with Hiccup. Matt then looked back at Heather, whispering "Stay with me Heather. You're going to be fine."

Laughing lightly in pain, Heather then said "I know Matt. I know I'll be ok. You have me."

Shocked at the comment, Matt looked at Heather in awe. Not sure what she meant by that, he just focused on what was ahead.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Chapter Nineteen: Taking it one step farther**_

"Enjoying Snoggletog Matt?" Hiccup asked, walking up to him with a broad smile on his face.

Smiling, Matt looked away from the celebrating Vikings and towards Hiccup and Astrid. "Eh, you know. Still getting used to it, but it has been a blast just to see you guys having fun. Didn't know Vikings knew how to have fun that doesn't involve a weapon of some kind."

"What are you talking about?" Astrid laughed, lightly hitting him in the shoulder "Don't you love a good sword fight? That's fun right?"

"You'd be surprised at how different my culture is from yours Astrid. Having fun is a little different than what you guys do. Other than dragons. That's something I wish we had." Matt answered, looking up at her "I may be a Viking by blood, but not by how I was raised."

"Your axe throwing skills attest to that." Astrid teased, taking a seat next to him.

Laughing, Hiccup also sat down on the other side of Matt "Don't worry Matt; axe throwing isn't everything here. Trust me when I say that."

"Can't throw one either?" Matt asked, raising an eyebrow with his smile.

"Nope. Well, not like Astrid or Snotlout." Hiccup laughed, looking over at Snotlout chugging a drink out of a barrel. Other Vikings were cheering him on, seeing how much he could drink.

"Ah well, I guess I'll have to keep learning from you Astrid." Matt smiled, returning his look to her.

"Hiccup! Come over here for a moment!" Stoick's voice sounded.

"Wonder what he wants?" Hiccup moaned, not knowing why he was being called.

"Can't be too bad. I mean, I guess if he angry with you, it'll be a quick death!" Astrid teased, watching Hiccup start to make his way to where his dad was.

"Thank you Astrid. Helpful as usual." Hiccup huffed sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he kept on walking.

Watching him disappear into the crowd, Matt then turned to Astrid and asked "Hey Astrid, can we talk for a second?"

"Sure Matt, what's up?" she replied, a little surprised at the request.

"I'm not exactly sure how to say this." Matt began to say, slightly looking down from her.

"What is it Matt?" Astrid asked, realizing it was a serious topic. Sitting up straighter, she just looked at him, waiting for him to say what was on his mind.

Sighing, Matt looked at Astrid and said "It's just been bugging me lately. You'd agree that we're friends, yeah?"

"Of course!" Astrid replied in shock "What's making you question that?"

"I'm not questioning that; I'm questioning if we're becoming more than that." Matt answered, obviously embarrassed. He then quickly added "I mean, it's not that I'm imposing that we become more than friends, it's just what if we were and didn't know it."

"Is this because of what Snotlout said a few days ago?" Astrid asked, blushing a little too at the subject, more so out of embarrassment than truth. A little angrier than Matt, she then added "Because you know better than to listen to him!"

"No, it's not that." Matt quickly said "But he does have a point." Looking around, making sure Hiccup wasn't near, he then explained "Look, we've spent a lot of time alone with each other. Admit it Astrid, we've talked a lot about our personal feelings and trials; on top of which we actually listened to each other and followed each other's advice."

Realizing what Matt was saying, Astrid began to nod in understanding.

"I guess I just wanted to see where we really are. I know you like Hiccup." Matt continued, not taking her eyes off her "Besides that I'm not from here. Who knows how much longer I have before I have to go home."

"Matt." Astrid interrupted, resting her hand on his leg "I realize what you're saying, and what you're trying to do. I do view you as a friend. A very special friend. But…" Looking around to make sure no one was listening, she admitted "I do like Hiccup. A lot actually." Looking at Matt, she then added "I still want to be able to talk to you, since you've been the one helping me with my decision to not join the guard."

Matt just nodded, agreeing with her.

"If we can, I'd like to still have that." Astrid finished saying, smiling at Matt "Can we agree to not take it farther than that?"

"I can." Matt replied with smile. Breathing out of relief, he then said "Thanks Astrid. It's been bugging me for a bit."

Smiling, Astrid quickly smacked him in the shoulder, causing him to cringe in pain.

"Gah!" Matt cried out, trying to curb the pain that lit up his shoulder. His back also jabbed at him, making it hard to focus on either one. "Guess I had that coming." Matt grunted, feeling the pain slowly disappear.

Without saying anything, Astrid reached her arm around him, pulling him closer. Smiling, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

Turning to her, Matt just stared at her. Letting a small smile grow on his face, he then said "Heh, Astrid. You're one of a kind. You know that right?"

"I do know actually." Astrid teased, scooting away from Matt "Now, let's talk about finding you a girl."

"Why? Who knows how long I'll be here." Matt asked, staring at Astrid "I could be gone tomorrow!"

"But you still have tonight, right?" Astrid asked, a smile creeping up on her face "It is Snoggletog."

"If you're thinking about Ruffnut, forget it." Matt quickly said, not liking the smile.

"It's not Ruffnut." Astrid quickly said "What about the black haired girl we've been with the past few days? Don't you think she'd like to spend the evening with you? I mean, it's not like she saved your life before; not to mention how you saved her."

"Come on Astrid, you know we've had a rough beginning with each other." Matt said "We were literally at each other's throats! With knives and axes!"

"I thought you said that you trusted her?" Astrid asked, not giving up on talking about Heather.

"I do trust her! Doesn't mean I want to date her!" Matt quickly defended "Besides that, she's not here because of her shoulder!"

"And? What's stopping you from going to visit her right now?" Astrid continued to ask, smirking at him "I bet she would like some company!"

"She's probably asleep." Matt quickly said, turning away from Astrid.

Shrugging, Astrid then said "You're probably right. But, if she isn't, I bet she's pretty hungry. Why don't you go see if she's awake? Take her some food in case she is!"

Matt quickly glared at Astrid "Don't think I don't know what you're doing, Astrid."

"What? I'm simply asking you to go check on her! Bring her a plate and a drink from the party." Astrid defended, still smirking at him.

Sighing, Matt simply let his head hang.

"Come on! You have to like her a little bit! Don't you?" Astrid pushed, trying to make eye contact with him.

A small smile grew on Matt's face. Looking back up at Astrid, he then said "Fine. I'll go check on her. Got something for me to bring her?"

"I'll get you a plate!" Astrid said with a wide smile, standing up to get some food for Heather.

"Astrid, hold up for a second." Matt quickly said, looking up at her.

Stopping in her tracks, Astrid turned and face Matt, unsure of what he was going to say.

"In answer to your question. I do like her. A little bit." He said a little sheepishly "I guess I'm just hesitant of committing to something where I might have to leave it."

Smiling, Astrid just said "I understand Matt. I just want you to make the most out of your stay here." At that she turned and ran into the crowd of people.

* * *

"Knock knock. You awake Heather?" Matt asked quietly, barely opening a door to the room Heather was laying in.

"Hey Matt! Come on in! Tell me how the party's going?" Heather answered, looking up at Matt from her bed.

"Eh, not my style." Matt said with a smile, opening the door wider. Carrying a plate of food and a drink for her, he set them down on the night stand next to her. "Snoggletog is something I'm still getting used to. So I decided to come down here and keep you company!"

"Wish I could be in there." Heather said, looking down. Staring at her arm resting in a sling, she then said "Honestly, I bet I could go in there now. Gothi patched me up pretty good."

Looking at her, Matt smiled as he said "Well, I can help you if you want to go to the party, I'll suffer through it with ya'"

"I might take you up on that" Heather replied, smiling at Matt "Thanks."

"No problem, it's the least I can do…" Matt said with a smile. Extending his hand to her, he said "Let's go."

"Hold on Matt." Heather began to say, looking up at him with an apologetic look "I was wondering if…you could finish your story. You know, when you first came here."

"Will you believe me?" Matt asked, looking at Heather "I know you still don't believe what I've told you so far."

"It's a lot to think about. And to try and believe. In fact, I kind of don't believe you." Heather admitted, shaking her head at the thought. Looking at Matt, she then said "But I trust you. That's enough for me."

Thinking about what she said, Matt smiled at the thought. "Fine. That's good enough for me too." Taking a seat on her bed, he then said "So. Where did I leave off?"

"I think, you told me that you figured out that you and Hiccup were related." Heather said, reaching for the cup on the night stand.

"Uh, hold on." Matt said "I…I'd hold out on this stuff until you're actually dying of hunger and thirst."

"Why? What is it?" she asked, looking at Matt with confusion.

"Smell it." Matt ordered, looking at her apologetically.

Confused, Heather did so, taking a big whiff. "Gak!" She gagged, extending her arm to get it as far as possible "What in the name of Thor is this!?"

"It's something that Astrid made. She calls it Yaknog." Matt explained, reaching and grabbing the cup. Setting the cup down and away from her, he explained "Honestly, it's as good as you'd expect with a name like that. I had to bring you a cup to make Astrid happy, but I won't tell her that you didn't drink it."

"Heh, well thank you for stopping me." Heather laughed, shaking her head. Grabbing the plate instead, she then began to say "So, you figured out that you are Hiccup's…grandson." Her voice waivered, as she still tried to wrap her head around the fact.

"Ah. Yeah. That's where I left off." Matt said, nodding "Well, after we figured that bombshell out, I spent the next few days hanging with him, learning from everyone about their dragons and ultimately train one."

"Ok, I remember you mentioning how Alvin was the one that helped you train Wasatch." Heather recalled, taking a bite out her food.

"Yeah, gave me some pretty good advice." Matt laughed, recalling back to the moment he was forced into the Outcast arena. "He told me not to die. Which I obeyed. I made sure I lived."

"How?" Heather asked, raising an eyebrow "There's got to be more to the story. Like how did he get you to begin with?"

"Well, he actually captured Hiccup." Matt said, casting his mind back to when he remembered seeing Hiccup being held captive "I, uh, I tried to pull a sneaky trick on him; which almost worked. I traded a fake Book of Dragons for Hiccup."

"Ah. The book." Heather said, nodding in understanding "Had some…experiences with that myself."

"Hiccup and Astrid told me about your first adventure with them." Matt quickly said, facing Heather.

Embarrassed that her history was brought up again. Heather just looked down and explained "I was more worried about my parents, that I didn't even thi-"

"Hey." Matt interrupted, resting his hand on her knee "What's done is done. You don't need to explain yourself to me. I trust you Heather. Remember?"

Looking at Matt, she then let a small smile grow on her face. He knew he was telling her the truth. For which she was grateful for. "Thanks Matt." Then, taking another bite of food from her plate, asked "So, you traded places with Hiccup, what happened then?"

"Well, probably no different than when you were with them. Got captured, dragged to their island, held hostage until I was no longer needed" Matt began to list out loud. Letting himself lean back a little more on her bed, he then continued "I had to train Wasatch or else let him kill me. I eventually was able to, when I shocked him. Er, well, accidently. I spent most of the time dodging his lightning strikes and his more physical attacks. I was so scared that the lightning looked like fire!"

"So what happened when you shocked Wasatch?" Heather asked, staring intently at Matt.

"He kind of looked shocked!" Matt replied with a wry smile "See what I did there?"

Heather groaned, gently shaking her head "Stab me again."

"Sorry. No more puns." Matt laughed "He was taken back; surprised. I don't think he expected me to be able to shock him. He kept on nudging me as if asking to keep on doing it to him. I'm not sure if it was because he enjoyed it, or if he was testing me. Maybe he thought I was part Skrill or something."

"Sounds amazing." Heather replied "What did you do after? I know Alvin, I don't think he was willing to let you two go."

"You're absolutely right." Matt answered "He was about to throw me in a cell again, but didn't account for Wasatch defending me. 'Bout got his world lit up, if one of his men hadn't pushed him out of the way."

"How'd you escape? Did Wasatch break the door down?" Heather asked, looking at Matt with interest.

"Hiccup came. Along with everyone else." Matt answered "I know, I know, not the amazing heroic action you were expecting. Anyways, when they came, they did free me and Wasatch; but Alvin was able to get on Hookfang and chase us."

"He was riding a dragon!?" Heather exclaimed in shock, staring at Matt in disbelief.

Raising his hand, he then swore "I promise Heather, everything I say is true!"

"No, it's not that." Heather quickly said "I believe you on that, it's just that I can't believe he was able to ride a previously trained dragon."

"Astrid may have shown him how to calm down a Nightmare." Matt said, remembering how Alvin was able to control Hookfang "Besides, didn't you do the same with Stormfly?"

"Fair point." Heather agreed, remembering when she first stole Stormfly from Astrid, and again to help her.

"Well, Alvin began to chase me; being that I was the closest one at the time." Matt continued to say "I ended up leading him over the ocean; and since we still needed to get him off Hookfang, I ended up flying straight up into the air."

"And?" Heather asked, finishing clearing her plate. Setting it back on the night stand, she returned her attention to Matt, waiting to see what happened next.

"You've seen how I ride Wasatch normally, right?" Matt asked, wanting to make sure she understood what he did next.

"Yeah, you stand on him." Heather answered, shrugging at the question.

Nodding, Matt then said "I was riding Wasatch the same way. While flying up, I released the bindings holding me down to Wasatch."

"Why!?" Heather cried out, staring at him like he was mad.

"Let me finish." Matt quickly said, raising his hand to stop her "Alvin was right behind me. When I fell backwards, I was able to knock him off Hookfang by doing a backflip and planting both feet in his chest."

"Gutsy." She replied, impressed with the maneuver.

"Yeah, well, didn't quite work out." Matt answered, smiling at her sheepishly "As I tried to separate from him, he just happened to slice my leg." Looking down from her gaze, he then added "It's never healed since."

"That's why your leg would bother you randomly…" Heather whispered, recalling the few times she saw him collapse due to it.

Nodding, Matt added "Not only that, but Wasatch was never able to get me. I bailed off of him too low, so I fell into the ocean. Alvin broke most of the impact for me when we crashed into the water, but it still knocked me out. I don't even know how he survived. Fortunately, Wasatch ended up saving me from a cold, wet ending to my life."

"Wow…" Heather whispered, not realizing what Matt had gone through in the past.

"Woke up, Hiccup made me a brace, went riding, went home." Matt summed up, looking back up at Heather "Back through the cave to where I came from."

"And…this is the first time you came back since?" Heather asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup." Matt answered with a smile "And had quite the adventure! Just glad I'm not as injured like last time."

Heather just stared at Matt, as if trying to think of something or piece something together.

"Listen Heather." Matt said, resting his hand on her knee again "Honestly, I don't care if you believe me or not. That's your business. I just wanted to tell you everything that happened to me, because I know everything that happened to you. Well, at least everything that happened to you when it involved Hiccup and the rest of the gang."

"Matt." Heather quickly cut in, stopping him from saying anything else. Sitting up in her bed, she then slowly swung her legs out from under the single blanket she had.

"Easy Heather…" Matt said, shifting his seat to allow her to move.

"I'm fine Matt, it's my shoulder, not my leg that's injured." Heather replied, sitting on the edge of her bed with Matt. Looking at him, she then continued to say "I…believe you. To be perfectly honest, I think I already went into shock when you first told me where you were from. Astrid helped me out a little too so your story wasn't as…"

"Traumatic?" Matt guessed, looking at her with some concern.

"Surprising." Heather corrected, looking at Matt. Resting her good hand on his leg, she then said "Listen Matt, I don't know how to say this, but…when you were negotiating for me and Hiccup. Well, actually even before that. When I saw what you were willing to do to help Hiccup and Astrid, when you turned the tables on me when we found Wasatch, I remember telling myself something when I was waiting in the cave. You know, the one you trapped me in."

"Heh, sorry about that. But, mind if I ask what that something was?" Matt asked, looking at her with compassion.

"I remember telling myself that I wish I had a friend like you." Heather said, looking at Matt in the eyes "I know I have Hiccup and Astrid, who frankly did the same for me, but…"

Matt sat there, waiting for what Heather would say next. He couldn't help but feel this was turning into a confession.

"After Dagur blindsided both me and Hiccup, you completely disregarded yourself to save us." Heather continued to say "I was surprised when I saw what you did to his fleet! That's something that can only happen if the person is completely committed."

"I'll be honest. I did that to Dagur's fleet because I was sick of being pushed around." Matt said sheepishly "Honestly, probably wasn't the best decision on my part. It was a risky move."

"Regardless. It worked. You crippled Dagur! More than what we did with freeing the dragons!" Heather quickly said "Matt. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I hope you can call me a friend. Because I feel like I can call you a friend."

"Of course you can! I didn't hold your shoulder to stop it bleeding for hours on end, until we were finally able work on it." Matt laughed, shaking his head. Then in a serious tone, he added "It's more than that Heather. I know for myself what you'd do for me, Hiccup, and the others." Resting his hand on her shoulder, he added "I do call you a friend."

"Thanks Matt." Heather whispered "That means everything to me. It really does…"

Smiling, Matt then lightly slapped her leg, standing up in the process. "Come on. Let's get you to the party."

Smiling as well, Heather stood up to follow him.

Matt opened the door, revealing the rest of Astrid's house that she was staying in. "You sure you're going to be ok? The party won't be too much for you?"

"I'm fine Matt." Heather quickly answered, a mischievous grin forming on her face "I didn't lose as much blood as you, and it's not my back. So I can function better than you ever could."

"Is that a little hostility?" Matt asked, taken back by the sudden comment. Opening the door that led outside, he looked up at the overcast sky and moaned "Of course I get picked on! Be a nice guy, bring a girl some dinner and get trashed later. Just like back home." Shaking his head, he continued to pretend to be depressed.

"Come on Matt." Heather laughed, lightly hitting him with her good arm "You give as much guff as you take. It's only fair!"

"Again, woe is me." Matt moaned, shaking his head to continue his act. Turning to Heather, he couldn't help but notice how cute she looked. Even in a sling, the 18 year old Viking still had a confident demeanor, with her almost arrogant smile and shining green eyes, the dark night couldn't hide the light that seemed to emit from them. Even her black hair seemed to have a glow around her.

Heather noticed him staring at her, which oddly didn't make it awkward, like last time they caught each other looking at each other when they were working on the Dragon Eye.

"Hey, uh, Heather." Matt began to say, rubbing the back of his head "I don't know if anyone's told you, this before, I mean, besides Snotlout; but, you're very beautiful. You know that right?"

Shocked at the comment, Heather instantly blushed as she quickly glanced down from Matt. Brushing her hair from her eyes, she quietly said "Uh, thanks." Looking back at Matt, she then said "And no. No one's actually told me that. Except, well, like you said earlier, besides Snotlout."

Smiling awkwardly, realizing how much he escalated their friendship, he slowly reached his arm around her, careful not to aggravate her shoulder. "Come on. It's cold out here." He huffed, slowly escorting her towards the Great Hall.

Letting Matt guide her with his arm around her, Heather couldn't help but continue to blush as he walked her to the Great Hall. It was the first time that someone cared not only for her, but actually liked her. On top of that, it was someone that she could like back. Glancing over at Matt, seeing his scruffy beard and shaggy black hair hanging over his ears, due to the beanie hat he was wearing; she couldn't help but think about how unique he was.

Walking up the stairs towards the Great Hall, they could hear the music playing and smell all the special food prepared for the occasion. Hearing the laughing from inside, Matt gently pushed the doors open, wide enough for both of them to walk through.

As they walked through, Heather was instantly swarmed by the dragon riders. "Heather!" Fishlegs said loudly, excited to see her "Glad you can make it!"

As the crowd got larger, Matt and Heather were separated. Matt laughed as he watched Heather get swept away in the crowd. "Careful with her arm! She's still tender!" He called out, watching Fishlegs continue to talk to Heather.

"Come on and try some of my special smoked salmon!" Fishlegs said anxiously "By the way, you look great! Did you get your hair done or something?"

Heather laughed as Fishlegs continued to complement her, which was odd for him to be making those kind of moves on her. Turning she saw the twins approach her.

"Nope. You can't be here." Tuffnut said with a stern voice.

"What? Why not?" She asked, looking confused at him.

"Your dragon's not here! We want her to…liven the party!" Ruffnut answered, an evil grin appearing on her face.

Staring at them, unable to answer, she was quickly pulled to the side; away from them. Wincing in pain, she turned to see Snotlout. "Oh great…" She whispered, knowing full well what he was going to be doing.

"Hey Heather." Snotlout said with his confident smile "Every Snoggletog there's a tradition where the girl kisses the man that she likes." Raising his eyebrows, and gesturing towards himself, he then said "Eh, eh? Right here! That's why you came to the party! Wanted to come back to me! Heh, they always do."

"Buzz off Snotlout!" Fishlegs jumped in, stepping in between her and Snotlout.

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?" Snotlout asked loudly, squaring up to him.

"I'll, I'll…" Fishlegs began to say, trying to think of something threatening.

"Uh-huh, step aside Fishboy." Snotlout said, pushing Fishlegs away. Smiling, he then said "So what do you say Heather? A quick kiss?"

"Uh…" Heather began to say, frantically looking around. Astrid then stepped in and intervened.

"Come on. I'm sure Stoick would like to see how you're doing." She said, gently pulling Heather along with her and away from Snotlout, who had closed his eyes and puckered his lips.

"Thanks Astrid." Heather huffed, letting herself disappear with Astrid into the crowd, and away from Snotlout who was still waiting for a kiss.

"No worries. I had to deal with that for the last 17 years." Astrid laughed, shaking her head at the thought.

"So, that is a tradition?" Heather asked, looking at Astrid in surprise.

"More or less." Astrid replied, smiling at Heather "Did Matt help you get here?"

"Yeah, after he brought me some food; I decided I wanted to be part of the fun." Heather answered, a smile growing on her face. "It was…good to be alone with him for a minute though."

"You two have a pretty good conversation?" Astrid asked, her eyes lighting up at the information.

Surprised by the enthusiasm, Heather looked at her curiously and asked "Yeah, why?"

"No reason." Astrid quickly replied, trying hard to hide a smile.

Confused at the comment, she felt herself gently pulled to the side. Turning her head, she saw Hiccup and Stoick smiling at her.

"Heather!" Hiccup exclaimed "You feeling better?"

"Tons better! It's just sore. And still bleeding a little bit." Heather answered with a little sarcasm, smiling at Hiccup's excitement.

"Will you be alright?" he asked, looking at her with a concerned expression.

"I'll be fine." Heather reassured. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't feeling up to it."

"That's good to hear." Stoick cut in, stepping up to Heather "Hiccup and the others told me all that you did. Not only as Chief of Berk, but also as Hiccup's father; I thank you."

Again, surprised by the kindness, Heather could only whisper "It's me that should be thankful. They've been like family to me."

Smiling, Stoick rested his hand on Heather's good shoulder "You're more than welcome to stay here Heather. It'd be an honor if you decided too."

Heather just stared at Stoick in shock. She was offered a home, a home that she knew she would be cared for and looked after. Starting to get emotional, she just whispered hoarsely "Thank you…Thank you so much!"

Stoick just nodded, to which he walked into the crowd of loud Vikings.

"I hope you choose to stay with us." Hiccup said, smiling at the still shocked Heather "Whenever he makes an offer like that, he makes sure he stand by it."

"Hiccup…" Heather whispered, looking at him "You have no idea what that meant to me. Thank you is the only way I can even try to tell you how I feel!" At that, she leapt forward, grabbing Hiccup in a hug with her good arm.

Surprised at first, Hiccup then also wrapped her in a hug of his own, careful not to bump her shoulder. "Nothing's changed Heather." Hiccup began to say "You've always been welcome here. You and Windshear."

"Thank you Hiccup! Thank you thank you thank you!" she cried, trying hard not to sob.

Matt, finally able to push his way to where they were, asked "So, what did I miss? Heather and Hiccup hooking up?"

"Shut up Matt." Hiccup laughed, looking a little embarrassed to be hugging her in front of Astrid.

"Oh, you didn't really miss anything really." Astrid quickly said, smiling at Matt "Just Heather finally getting a home she can stay at."

His face lighting up with excitement, Matt then asked "Let me guess. Is it here?"

"Nailed it." Hiccup laughed, finally separating from Heather.

Walking up to Heather, Matt gently grasped her good hand, saying "Congrats Heather. I'm happy for you."

"Thank you Matt!" Heather replied, hugging him tightly with her one arm.

Feeling his back run up and down with a jabbing pain, Matt gasped as he lost his breath. Trying to ignore the pain, he then squeezed back on her; out of happiness and excitement for her, and to try and null out the pain.

"Well, now that that's taken care of." Astrid said smiling at both of them "How about we do something fun?"

"Like what? See if we can make Snotlout explode chugging all that yak milk?" Hiccup asked, glancing over across the Great Hall to see Snotlout chugging a barrel again.

"Tempting." Astrid answered, turning to look at the spectacle. After watching Snotlout finally look like he was going to be sick¸ she then said "I was actually thinking of a small dragon ride around Berk. To the cove, then to Raven Point; maybe Matt's cave."

"That actually does sound like fun." Heather threw in, looking at Matt "Still hard for me to believe that you came from a cave."

"You know what, sure." Matt said, looking back at Heather. Turning to Hiccup and Astrid he then said "Who knows, maybe it's' open."

"Would you go if it is?" Hiccup asked, a worried look growing on his face.

"If it is. Probably not. Not tonight at least." Matt answered "I feel that I could leave knowing I helped you and crippled Dagur's ability to fight you guys."

"If that's what you feel like you have to do before you leave Matt, you got it all wrong." Hiccup corrected "You shouldn't feel like you owe us something when you come."

"It makes me feel better." Matt quickly explained "If I left knowing that Dagur still had the ability to hurt any of you, I wouldn't rest easy."

"How about we go for a nice long, cold ride." Astrid cut in, throwing her arms around Hiccup and Matt "And find out if the cave is open. If it is, we wait 'till tomorrow! If not, well then all's well isn't it?"

Matt smiled at the comment. Shaking his head, he then said "Fine, twist my arm." Looking at Heather, he asked "Can you ride Windshear with your arm?"

"I rode on her when Dagur just ran the sword through it. I'll be fine." Heather said with a smile. Then, with a smirk, said "I don't know about you though. You've been a weakling since I've met you!"

"Oh really? Is that so?" Matt said, shaking his head at the insult. Walking with her towards the doors of the Great Hall, he then asked "I can't seem to remember; what happened in that cave when we found Wasatch, huh? Care to explain that? Or when I tackled Dagur when you were otherwise pinned to the deck? Speaking of which, who pulled the sword out of you? You would have drowned had I not been there! Oh! And my personal favorite, who held their hand on your bleeding shoulder for hours until we could get it taken care of?"

"That doesn't count!" Heather immediately protested.

"Sure it doesn't. It never does." Matt replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes "Good thing I'm keeping my knife in my pocket! Who knows what you'll do to me!"

Astrid and Hiccup laughed as they watched Heather lightly hit Matt in the shoulder. Turning to Hiccup, Astrid then said "By the way. I forgot to do something."

"Oh, what?" Hiccup asked, facing Astrid.

Smiling, she then leaned forward and kissed him. "Happy Snoggletog."

Taken back by the surprise kiss, Hiccup just smiled and asked "So, I'm the lucky Viking that you like?"

"Hypothetically." Astrid answered, walking with him out the doors "Better than Snotlout at least."

"Glad I could be the scape goat for you Astrid." Hiccup replied, shaking his head at the comment.

Laughing, the two followed Matt and Heather, who were still busy insulting each other with their injuries and mistakes.

* * *

"Is this it?" Heather asked, dismounting from Windshear. Careful not to aggravate her arm, she tried to look deeper into the cave.

"This is it." Matt answered, unbuckling himself from his bindings. Since the raid on Dagur's fleet, Matt was a lot stronger as far as standing and running. The side just ached when it was touched or if he was jerked around.

"I was expecting something…grander." Heather observed, looking around.

"You keep important objects in simple containers. That's how you mask the value" Matt replied, copying her answer she gave him back in the cave with Matt's saddle.

"Using my own words against me. Classic Matt" Heather huffed, shaking her head.

"Well, can't see the end of the cave." Astrid answered, peering into the dark "I bet it's closed!"

"Let me check." Matt quickly said, pulling his small LED flashlight out of his snowboard pants pocket. Clicking the button, he then shown it into the cave. Seeing what the light revealed, Astrid and Hiccup let out an audible gasp. A cave way led deeper into the mountain.

"Is it open?" Heather asked, looking at Matt in confusion.

Only able to nod, he then said quietly "Unfortunately, yes. It is."

Heather looked at him with a sad expression. "So…this means this is your last night then, huh?"

"I'm afraid so…" Matt answered, looking down at the ground. His eyes were turning misty, knowing what the future was going to bring. Turning off the light, he continued to stare at the cave.

"Hey," Hiccup said, realizing what Matt was thinking about. Throwing his arm around him and letting it hang there lazily, he then suggested "I got an idea. Let's go to the cove. We'll spend the night there; talk about stuff, make jokes, pretend we're both tougher than the girls."

"You wish." Astrid huffed, folding her arms and glaring at him.

"Never going to happen." Heather seconded, standing next to Astrid "Two axes,"

"Are better than one." Astrid finished. The two then fist pounded each other.

"Great. Look at what you started." Matt said, a small smile growing on his face "Heather's gotta get stabbed again in order for her to get off her high horse!"

"Or you can stop whining and try to beat me in a race." Heather laughed, placing her hands on her hips in a confident manner.

"Deal." Matt laughed, finally turning away from the cave.

"How about, no. Why don't we stay here and introduce ourselves." A voice called out from deeper in the cave.

Matt whirled around, surprised to hear a voice. Not only that, it was familiar, yet he couldn't place a finger on who it was.

"Who's there!?" Astrid demanded, stepping forward and drawing her axe from Stormfly's saddle.

"I'd put that away if I were you." The voice said, unfazed by the threat. A silhouette of a person came into view. Slowly entering the little light that was in the cave, the silhouette emerged as a reddish blonde girl, wearing a white snowboard coat and a pink beanie hat. In her hand was a revolver, aimed at the three and their dragons.

"No…" Matt whispered, staring at the girl in disbelief.

"Hello Matt. I'm here for my hot chocolate that you offered me." The girl said with an evil smile.

"Darien!?" Matt gasped "You…You were the one who broke into my apartment!?"

"Surprise!" Darien laughed. Turning to Astrid, who still held onto her axe, repeated herself "Drop the axe. Otherwise I'll have to shoot you."

Astrid glanced at Matt, unsure of what to do. Matt slowly reached up and grabbed the axe from her, knowing what Darien was capable of. Tossing towards the entrance, he then looked back at Darien.

"That's better." Darien said gleefully, knowing she was in control "Send your dragons away. Now!"

"Do it guys." Matt said, raising his hands slightly "She can hit us from that range."

Still confused at the turn of events, Hiccup, Astrid, and Heather turned to their dragons.

"Go on girl…" Heather whispered, motioning for her dragon to leave

"Go ahead Wasatch. Get out of here." Matt said, not taking his eyes off of Darien.

Astrid did the same, but Hiccup protested by saying "Mine can't fly without me."

"Oh?" Darien said "That's alright, tell it to turn around. I'm actually going to need you."

"So who are you supposed to be?" Astrid demanded, now that she was completely defenseless and confused.

"Matt never told you about me?" Darien laughed "He had a crush on me!"

"You…you did this? You stole my journal?" Matt asked again in disbelief, stepping towards her.

"Yes I did. Pretty easy to get into your room. Your roommate left the door open when he left, letting me in and giving me all the time I needed." Darien laughed. Wearing a huge backpack, that indicated to him that she was planning on staying for a while.

With the shock factor dying away, Matt began to feel a rage build inside of him. He then shouted "You just wait! You have to be borderline insane to try and pick a fight with a people that fly dragons!"

"Actually, now that you mention it, I am a little insane." Darien laughed, shaking her head at the sudden burst "It runs in the family."

"What do you mean you're insane!?" Matt roared, letting anger start to go out of control inside him "I'll kill you myself!"

"You sure about that?" Darien asked, waving the gun "You might stop me from shooting you, Matt; but what about your friends?"

Matt froze, knowing full well what would happen to him and the others.

"Now Matt. If you want your friends to live, I suggest you continue to do as I say…" Darien smirked, seeing his face stare at the gun.

"Why…why Darien?" Matt whispered, slightly raising his hands again.

"Why? I'll tell you why." Darien whispered, her smile disappearing "You're not the only one who has Viking ancestors, Matt. What Hiccup is to you; so is Dagur the Deranged to me."


	20. Chapter 20

_**Chapter Twenty: Game changer**_

"You…Your what!?" Matt gasped, staring at Darien in disbelief.

"You heard me. I'm Dagur's descendant." Darien growled, now aiming the revolver at Matt "Now, do you want you and your friends here to survive?"

"How…how did know that Hiccup was my ancestor? I mean, before you stole my journal?" Matt asked, still staring at her.

"All in good time Matt." Darien said quietly "Now, this is what I want you and Hiccup to do."

"What about us?" Heather asked, stepping next to Astrid.

"Ah, you must be my something great Aunt Heather. Black hair, green eyes…" Darien replied with a smile "Betrayed her brother and helped Hiccup." Shaking her head at the thought, she then said "You're coming with me."

"Fat chance…" Astrid growled, narrowing her eyes at Darien

"Seriously. I will shoot you next time you do another outburst like that. It was cute at first, but now it's really getting annoying." Darien quickly yelled, her temper beginning to flare.

"Leave them out of this!" Matt quickly said, standing in-between her and the girls "It's me and Hiccup you want."

"Actually no. It's just Heather actually. And I guess Hiccup too, but that's me getting ahead of myself." Darien corrected "Now shut up and listen to me."

"I'm not letting you take her." Matt said, squaring up to her.

"Fine. Be brave and stupid." Darien said simply. Pulling the trigger, she fired a round at the ground of Matt's feet. The gunshot was deafening in the cave, causing everyone to cover their ears. Fire flashed out of the barrel, creating a unique spectacle in the dark cave. The ricocheting bullet caused Matt jumped out of reaction, landing wrong on his foot.

"Gah!" He cried out, falling onto the ground. His leg and side simultaneously lit up with pain, forcing him to take deep breaths as he tried to massage his leg. Heather ran to him, sliding on her knees to try and help ease the pain.

"That worked well for me." Dairen said, smiling at Matt as he lay on the ground. Looking up, she could see Toothless growling at her, baring his teeth. "Tell your dragon to turn around; or I'll actually hit Matt next time I shoot."

"Toothless, easy bud." Hiccup quickly said, pushing back on his dragon. Narrowing his eyes, he then whispered "Not yet…"

"Not ever!" Darien corrected, waving the revolver "This is what's going to happen. Hiccup, you're going to get me a ship that's ready to sail, got it?"

"While we do what? Have our drink that I promised?" Matt growled sarcastically, looking up at her. Feeling the pain die down, he let Heather help him sit up.

"Nah, not yet at least." Darien laughed, seeing his angry expression "You and…Astrid? Is that your name?" she asked, looking over at Astrid.

Astrid just glared at her, not saying anything.

"Astrid it is then." Darien replied, shrugging at the death glare "While Hiccup is going to get our ship ready, you and Astrid are going to have a bonding time!" At that, she swung her backpack on her shoulder, using her free hand to open the main pouch. Digging through it, she then smiled as she pulled out the object she was looking for. Tossing it to Matt, she said "You know what to do."

Matt caught the object, glaring at her. Looking down he saw that it was a roll of duct tape. "This won't stop her. You know that right?" Matt said, trying to bluff her. Looking back up at Darien, he flushed with anger with the order.

"What? What is it?" Heather asked, looking at the roll and then back to him.

"It better. Heather's life is depending on it." Darien threatened, zipping up the bag. Sliding her arm through the strap of her pack, she then leveled the gun at Astrid, saying "Or should I just kill her and save me the trouble?"

"No! I'll do it!" Matt shouted, scrambling up onto his feet. His side sent him a quick bolt of pain, to which he tried to ignore; he wasn't going to let anyone die because of him. "I'll do it. She won't get out, I promise."

"Good. I also need you to tie Heather's hands too. Don't want her to do something sneaky while I take her." Darien continued to instruct. Turning to Hiccup, she then said "Get going Hiccup. Heather and I will be following shortly."

Hiccup just stared at Darien, wishing he could do something. The last thing he wanted to do was leave his friends.

"Go on. Get going." Darien smiled evilly, making shooing motions with her free hand.

"Don't worry Hiccup. We'll be fine." Astrid assured, her fists curling in anger as she glared at Darien.

Reluctantly, Hiccup slowly turned to Toothless, who still had his back turned to Darien. "It'll be ready when you come down." He replied, climbing on his saddle and locking his foot into the tail's mechanism.

"Oh, one more thing." Darien called out, causing Hiccup the let out a long, vented breath. "If I see one thing I don't like; whether it be a trap, a few people standing-by, or anything I don't like. Heather dies. As well as Matt and Astrid."

Not saying anything for a second, Hiccup just looked out of the cave. Then, obviously angry, said "Fine. Nothing will be out of the ordinary."

"Good. Now get going." Darien ordered, keeping the revolver trained on Astrid.

Toothless then launched out of the cave, with Hiccup leaning forward and disappearing into the night.

"There, now that that's taken care of." Darien replied, turning back to Matt "Get going on Astrid."

"Come on Darien!" Matt began to argue "This isn't what you want! Dagur isn't even someone you want to be friends with!"

"Uh-huh, I'm sure." Darien barked back "Just trying delay the inevitable."

"Listen!" Heather cut in, taking a step toward Darien; who instantly whirled the revolver towards her. Stopping, she then explained "I left for a reason! I left Dagur because he didn't care about me. He only cared about what I could do for him!" In a softer tone, she added "As a relative, and someone who knows personally, I'm telling you that Dagur isn't worth the time or effort to help. I promise you that!"

Darien didn't say anything for a second, contemplating what Heather was saying. Then, eyes narrowing, said "I'll just be more help than you ever were. Bringing him you would earn me a spot with him, don't ya' think?"

"He'll kill her!" Matt quickly cut in "He doesn't want to work with her anymore! Especially after what we did to him and his fleet!"

"All the more reason to bring her to him." Darien spat, focusing on Matt. Raising the revolver level with his head, she then shouted "Now tie her up or both of you die!"

Defeated, Matt slowly turned to Astrid and walked towards her. Shutting his eyes, he wished he brought his gun. Anything really to fight Darien.

"What is that thing?" Astrid asked, staring at the roll of tape.

"Something from my world." Matt answered, finding the end of it. Pulling it out, the ripping sound of it made both Astrid and Heather jump back.

"Scary, huh?" Darien teased, seeing the girl's reactions.

Ignoring her, Matt then whispered "Hands behind your back."

Astrid obey, turning around and placing her hands behind her. Matt then began to wrap the tape around her linen gauntlets. Feeling them get sucked together, Astrid turned her head in surprise at how tight it wound around her wrists. "What is this stuff?" she asked, seeing Matt tear the tape and pat down the loose end.

"Duct tape!" Darien called out "Perfect for…well…what I need done here!" Looking at Matt, she then said "Legs too. Gag her as well. She talks way too much for my liking."

Matt's face flushed red. Turning to Darien, he found himself staring at the revolver leveled back at him. "Fine…" He growled, his eyes narrowing at her. Helping Astrid sit down, he then began to wrap her boots together, tightening each wrap. With every strand that stuck to her, he felt dirtier and sick inside of him. This isn't what he wanted. At all! He was betraying his friends.

Shaking his head, he then tore the tape. Focusing on the roll, he reluctantly tore two small strips off. Dropping the roll, he looked up at Astrid and whispered "I'm sorry Astrid…"

"Don't be. You have no choice." Astrid grunted, testing the bonds on her feet.

Shaking his head, he reached forward and laid each strip over her mouth, gagging her.

"Mmmm, MmMM!" She grunted, realizing that she was indeed stuck and unable to do anything.

"Good. Now Heather." Darien instructed.

"I'm not pulling her arm out of the sling." Matt quickly said, turning to face Darien "If you'll let me, can I try something so she doesn't have to move it?"

Glancing back and forth between him and Heather, Darien then said "If she can get out, or move her arms at all, I'll shoot Astrid. And then maybe you. I don't really want you to get off that easy though."

Matt glared at her, hating the threat and situation in general. Turning to Heather, he then said "I'm sorry Heather…I don't want to…I feel so…"

Heather just gave him a small smile, trying to comfort him. "Matt, I of all people know what it's like to do something you don't want to. I know what it's like to be forced into a situation you don't want to be part of."

Not smiling, only nodding slightly, Matt whispered "I guess you do, huh?" Looking into her eyes, he then whispered "I care about you…you know that right?"

"I do Matt…I do." Heather smiled back. Motioning towards Darien, she then said "Better hurry up. Girl Dagur over there is looking impatient."

Sighing, Matt ripped open the tape and began to wrap it around her body. Pinning her good arm to her side, he then gently rolled the tape around her other arm to hold it in place. Running the roll around her chest and stomach, he effectively wrapped her upper body. Frowning, still feeling dirty and ashamed, he then tore the tape and patted down the loose end. Taking a step back, he froze as he felt the cold barrel of the revolver rest against his neck.

"Let me see…" Darien said methodically, looking over Heather.

"She can't move her arm to begin with. That's more than enough to keep her from moving her good arm." Matt explained "Dagur did that to her. Didn't even care that she was his sister."

"Shut up Matt." Darien huffed, tired of the attempts to change her mind.

"I guess you'll find out for yourself soon enough…" Matt whispered, shaking his head in disgust.

Ignoring him, Dairen then said "Looks fine enough. Drop the tape and get on your knees."

Matt obey, dropping the tape and slowly getting on his knees. Hate was coursing through his veins. Not only because of what he did for her, but the fact that he was helpless to help Astrid and Heather.

"Raise your hands on your head." She instructed, walking over to Heather's side.

Doing so, Matt closed his eyes, desperately trying to think of anything.

"Good. Now lie down." She said, smashing the butt end of the revolver into his head.

"Ooggghhhh…" Matt let out a long groan, dropping face forward and sprawled on the ground.

"Mmhhm!" Astrid cried out, staring at Matt lying in front of her.

"What did you do!? Why!?" Heather cried out, staring at Matt in horror. Dropping to her knees next to him, she could only stare at him, wishing she could help him.

"Oh please, he's fine. This way he can't try anything. He's more immovable than if I tied him up!" Darien huffed, rolling her eyes "Honestly, I could shoot him and move on, but I know you'll cooperate better if he's alive. Am I right, auntie?"

"Don't call me that!" Heather shouted in disgust, turning to look up at her "You're not part of my family, not any more than Dagur is!"

"Whatever you say, auntie." Darien teased, smiling evilly at her. Kneeling down, she then swung her backpack around a second time. Putting the duct tape away, she then pulled out two containers taped together with some red wires sticking in them. Single white square looking thing connected the wires.

"What now!?" Heather growled, looking at the contraption.

"This is a bomb. A small, propane one." Darien explained, smiling at both her and Astrid. Walking it over towards Astrid, she placed it in between her and Matt. "It's on a timer, so it'll blow up whenever this little thing reaches zero."

Astrid stared at her angrily, wishing she was able to beat the living crap out of Darien.

"How long of a walk is it to Berk?" Darien asked, pressing some buttons on the kitchen timer.

"I don't know. It was a 5 minute flight to get here." Heather answered, looking down at Matt. "Astrid would know better than me."

"About an hour?" Darien asked, turning to Astrid.

Astrid slowly and reluctantly nodded, wishing she could speak; the reason to tell Darien exactly what she thought of her.

"Good. I'll set it for an hour and 10 minutes." Darien announced, standing up from the bomb. Grabbing her back pack, she zipped it up as she said "Pleasure to meet you Astrid. Hope you and Matt are able to make it through this. If not, well, I guess this will be the last time I see you!" Laughing, she then swung her backpack over her shoulder and grabbed Heather; pulling her away from Matt and Astrid.

"Hhhmhhmm!" Astrid cried out, watching helplessly as Heather was being forced alongside of Darien.

"Just help Matt! Don't worry about me!" Heather shouted, finally disappearing from Astrid's gaze.

Seeing that she was alone, Astrid then desperately started to fight against the tape. Twisting her wrists, she also tried to shuffle her legs, to wear down the bonds. After a few minutes of struggling, she frantically looked around for anything that could help her. Looking at Matt, she then remembered something that gave her hope. Right when they left the Great Hall, she overheard Matt mentioning him keeping his knife.

Energized by the thought of finding it, Astrid rolled over and slowly pushed herself with her legs towards Matt. Lining herself up with his snowboard pants, she turned her back to him and tried to navigate her tied hands into his pockets. "Hold on Matt…We'll get out of this mess…" she thought to herself, fumbling her fingers at trying to get into his pocket.

* * *

"Wow…this place is boring." Darien said out loud, looking around at all the buildings around Berk.

"You'll be even more surprised when you see Dagur's place then." Heather growled, not turning to look at her. "His place is burned down and just ashes."

"All thanks to you betraying him." Darien replied, not fazed by the venom in Heather's voice "By the time I'm done helping him, it'll be an impenetrable fortress!"

"By the time you're be done helping him, you'll be dead." Heather spat back, finally turning to face Darien "He won't care about you! No matter what you do for him."

Darien just stared at Heather, anger flashing across her face. Spinning Heather around, she then jabbed the barrel of her gun into the center of her back. "Get going and shut up. The longer we take getting to the ship, the less time Hiccup has to save your friends."

Heather reluctantly kept walking, feeling a little despair as they continued to walk towards the docks. She knew what would happen if Darien succeeded in taking her to Dagur, which she didn't want to think about. But with Astrid and Matt basically having minutes left, she didn't want to do anything to jeopardize their rescue.

The two started down a ramp, heading down to where the boats were docked. There, on the farthest dock, was Hiccup and Toothless, waiting for them. Darien smiled in relief as she saw a smaller vessel ready to be launched. Walking along the still ocean, she then called out, saying "Well, so far so good. You didn't put any holes in my ship, did you?"

"Would I put Heather's life at risk?" Hiccup retorted back "I care about my friends and family. Something that Dagur can't even begin to think about."

"Will you guys shut up about that!?" Darien cried out, rolling her eye at the comment "I'm not changing my mind!" walking past Hiccup and Toothless, she leveled the revolver at Heather's head, glaring at the Night Fury who was softly growling at her.

Crossing the gangplank, she then shoved Heather forward, letting her fall onto the deck of the small ship.

"Grrrrhhh…" Heather groaned, rolling over onto her back. The tape keeping her arms pinned shifted slightly, allowing her to at least grip her hurt arm with her good one, trying to slow the pain that was riveting through.

"Why'd you do that!? I did everything you asked!" Hiccup shouted, helplessly staring at Darien as she untied the ship from the dock.

"That was personal. Nothing to do with you." Darien replied, pulling the sails down.

"Hiccup!" Heather cried out, gritting her teeth "Go get Matt and Astrid! You need to save them!"

"What!?" Hiccup asked in confusion.

"Just go!" Heather shouted, now sitting up.

Seeing her terrified expression, he knew she was serious. Something was going to happen. Slowly, not wanting to, he jumped onto Toothless. Glaring back at Darien, he then said "You haven't seen the last of us Darien…Just remember that."

"I know. And next time I see you, it'll be when I want to." Darien replied, returning a glare of her own. Leveling the gun at Hiccup, she then said "Better hurry Hiccup. If my watch is accurate, you got maybe 5 minutes left before Matt and Astrid become ash."

Hiccup gaped at her, realizing he was wasting precious time. Gritting hit teeth, he forced himself to let Toothless launch into the air. "Come on Bud! Faster! We got to get to them!"

Darien watched as Hiccup flying towards the central mountain, disappearing into the night. Turning to Heather, who was testing the tape wrapped around her, she then said "Next stop…Dagur's place…" At that, the boat caught a stiff, cool breeze; pushing the vessel away from Berk.

"Good luck finding him." Heather growled, looking up at Darien "Even I don't know where he is now."

"Oh, but I do." Darien smiled, unzipping one of her coat's pockets. Pulling out a small, leather bound book, she then said "This is Dagur's journal. Tells me everything that Hiccup did to him; even you."

Heather just glared at her, knowing she planned this trip for a while.

"In the back of it, is a small map of his favorite locations. One has a star around it." Darien continued to say, flipping the book open to the spot. Showing Heather, she then asked "Look familiar?"

Heather stared at the map, it being vaguely familiar. Realizing what she was looking at, a small smile began to form on her face. Looking up at Darien, she then asked "Tell me one thing Darien, before I answer your question."

Concerned at why she was smiling, Darien slowly closed the journal "What is it then?"

"Did Dagur's journal have anything about…Matt? I mean, about Matt helping Hiccup?" Heather asked, her smile relaxing.

"Why does that matter?" Darien asked loudly, staring intently at Heather, her temper beginning to surface.

"It matters because that island on your map, is the island Matt just raided with the rest of the dragon riders! They burned it to the ground! I imagine Dagur left it after our fight with him!" Heather answered, smiling broadly at her "Darien, your journal accounted for what Hiccup did to Dagur. But it was without Matt." Shaking her head slightly at the bewildered Darien, she then added "He wasn't mentioned in your journal, was he?"

Darien just stared at Heather with a shocked expression. Looking down at the journal, Darien then let her anger vent. Shoving Heather down, she laid her out on the deck of the ship.

"Gah!" She shouted, landing roughly against the deck on her side "That's getting old you know…"

"I don't care, and I don't know if Dagur knew about Matt or not! It wasn't in his journal! But no matter what, we're going to that island!" Darien shouted, daring Heather to protest.

Groaning in pain, Heather simply rolled over onto her back. Taking deep breaths to try and help curb the pain, she simply said "Whatever you say…niece…"

Letting her anger continue to vent through her heavy breaths, Darien then pulled out a compass from her backpack. Staring at it, she then walked over to the rudder and began to turn it towards the direction she need to go.

Finally feeling the pain in her shoulder slowly dissipate, Heather turned her head to look at Darien. "How did you know Matt was related to Hiccup? How did you figure out Matt knew how to get here?"

Turning to Heather, Darien then said coldly "When I saw him take his shirt off. I always knew he was Haddock, but I had no idea that he was directly related to Hiccup. One day, our English class had to go out and write a poem about nature. It was stupid, it felt like high school again; anyways, we were all caught in a rainstorm. As we all ran back into the building, Matt took his shirt off to get dry. Do you know what I saw?"

Heather shook her head, listening to her explanation.

"I saw a Skrill head. There, tattooed on his shoulder. A few classmates commented on it, which he explained it was just a symbol of a memory he had. I knew though. I knew exactly what it was." Kneeling, Darien looked down at Heather that still lay on her back "The Skrill crest stayed in our family; and I knew our history. And after hearing Matt explain that it was a memory, it had me thinking; he disappeared a few years ago, and came back with an injured leg; there had to be more to the story than what he told. So, I did a little investigating; broke into his room, searched around, and found his journal. It led me straight to the cave, and after waiting for two long, cold days, found him with you and your friends." Glaring down at Heather, she then added "Then you know the rest of the story."

"Why? Why do all this?" Heather asked, still confused at the motive "Why go and get to Dagur?"

"I'll tell you that when we find him…" Darien answered, standing up. Looking forward, she walked to the bow of the ship. "Right now auntie, get comfortable. We're going to have a real family reunion."

* * *

"Come on bud! Come on!" Hiccup urged loudly, seeing the cave come into view. He was still a good half mile away, and was already pushing Toothless to fly as fast as he could. "Please be alright…" He whispered, thinking of what Darien did to put a time limit on him. He originally planned to follow her in silence, striking at the right time. With the new update of Matt and Astrid in trouble, he quickly dismissed the idea. He didn't want to leave Heather, but the best bet to get her back was to get Matt and Astrid.

Getting closer to the cave, he was about to aim Toothless into the cave when a sudden flash then explosion sounded off.

BOOM! The explosion echoed out of the cave, creating a concussion that slightly altered the flight path of Toothless.

Toothless roared as he stopped suddenly at the explosion sounding off. Fire and dust spewed into the air from where the cave was.

Coughing, Hiccup stared at the cave in horror. Rocks were piled where the entrance use to be, effectively crushing any hope he had of finding Astrid and Matt alive.

"No…" He said weakly "No…this isn't happening…I'm never too late…"

Toothless also stared at the cave with a devastated look, knowing what was lost. Diving forward, he pulled up just feet away from the rubble. Whimpering the dragon just stared at the rock that fell. Even he was powerless to change what was done.

Hiccup let his body go numb, staring blankly at the rocks. Dust kept on blowing past him, but he never even noticed it. He lost two of his best friends; one that was super special to him. Drifting off into memories of Astrid, he felt his breath leap out of his lungs as he heard a joyous sound; one that made him think he was imagining it.

"Hiccup! Down here you mutton head!" Astrid's voice shouted.

Hiccup and Toothless instantaneously looked below them. Toothless roared out of happiness as he saw Astrid sitting, and Matt laying in the snow on the other side of the cave. "Guys! You're alive!" Hiccup shouted, letting Toothless dive down. Leaping off of him before he landed, Hiccup fell right next to Astrid. Grabbing her in a tight hug, he then cried out "I thought I lost you guys! I was sure of it!"

Astrid's face flushed a little red at the embrace, to which she then smiled gently and returned the hug herself. "We're fine Hiccup. We got out a few minutes ago." Turning to Matt, who was forcing a smile himself, while holding the back of his head, she then added "Well, at least I'm fine. Matt took another blow to the head."

Hiccup quickly released Astrid, staring down at Matt. Seeing him holding his head, and looking a little dazed, he asked "What happened?"

"Darien." He answered simply "She was going to leave us to die, but Astrid's quick fingers saved us." Grunting to sit up, he looked at Hiccup in the eyes "She picked my pocket and grabbed my knife while I was out cold. Freed herself and tried to wake me up."

"Took me forever to cut myself free. When he finally came too, he wasn't doing too well." Astrid cut in, taking over the story "I then dragged him out of the cave, knowing that Darien left the bomb for us."

"Had I been a little more coherent, I would have told Astrid to throw it out of the cave." Matt interrupted, shaking his head at the thought "But, by the time I was able to think, and when Astrid told me Darien left the bomb, it went off. We saw you earlier and were trying to get your attention, which you can see how well that turned out…"

"But you guys are ok?" Hiccup asked, looking up at Astrid with concern.

"We're fine Hiccup." Matt said, looking up at him with a forced smile. Letting it slowly disappear, he then asked "Is…is it gone? The cave?"

Realizing what Matt was really thinking about, Hiccup kneeled down in front of Matt. Staring at the ground, Hiccup shook his head as he said "I'm sorry Matt…I am…"

Matt just stared at him, not wanting to hear what he was saying. Taking short breaths, he quickly looked away from him and looked down the mountain side. Not saying anything for a few seconds, making it awkward for both Hiccup and Astrid, he then swallowed his anger and whispered "Dammit…"

"Where is she?" Astrid asked, looking up at Hiccup, seeing that Matt was now focused on the cave and trying to take his mind off it.

"Gone. She took a small fishing boat and left as soon as Toothless and I came to get you guys." Hiccup explained, still feeling bad for Matt's circumstance "I don't know where they went."

"They didn't go far. They couldn't have." Matt said, slowly standing up from where he sat "She kept Heather tied up, right?"

"Yeah, in some silver stuff." Hiccup confirmed, helping Matt onto his feet.

Grimacing from moving a little too fast, Matt held the back of his head when he said "If Darien is from my world, she has no skill sailing; and if she's not using Heather to sail it, she's going to be making very little progress. If we go now, we can get her."

"And? If we do, she'll use that weapon! The one that almost left us all deaf!" Astrid protested "Heather's still a hostage."

"True, she does have a gun, but we have a Night Fury, a Skrill, and Deadly Nadder on our side." Matt argued "Come on! We have to act now before Dairen legitimately gets away! We have to save Heather, we all know what Dagur would do to her if he gets her."

Thinking for a moment, Astrid then said "I'm with Matt on this. We need to act and we need to act now. We won't have any more of an upper hand than what we have right now!"

Hiccup stared at Astrid, and then to Matt. Sighing, he then said "Fine. Let's go find your dragons."

"If you don't mind, we also need Windshear. I have an idea." Matt said, looking at Hiccup "One that might get the gun away from Darien. And if we're lucky, wound her."

* * *

"Stupid sail!" Darien shouted, pulling on it to try and angle it to catch the wind that shifted. Pulling hard on the rope, she shouted out of exasperation. "Come on!" She yelled again, feeling the sail not give in.

"You've never done this, huh?" Heather observed, leaning against the back wall of the boat.

"Shut up, before I decide to gag you like Astrid!" Darien roared, glaring at Heather.

Heather shrugged, looking away from Darien. Letting her continue to struggle with the sail, she looked up at the star lit sky. They've maybe made 5 miles out of Berk, and the overcast sky cleared up. Now on open waters, the wind was cold and the ocean spray was breath taking if it landed on you. Shaking her head, she then turned her thoughts to Astrid and Matt. Did Hiccup get to them in time? Were they alright? So many questions ran through her head, and not one could be answered.

Looking up at Darien, who managed to finally angle the sail a little bit, she then whispered to herself "Well, at least now I believe you now, Matt. You really did come from a different world. From a cave…"

"Whew…" Darien huffed, standing back from the sail. Angled slightly more, it caught the wind and began to continue on its course. Looking down at Heather, she then asked "How long of a trip do you think it'll be?"

"Am I allowed to talk?" Heather asked, using one of Matt's lines when she held him hostage.

"Don't be smart. Answer the question." Darien growled, whipping out her revolver to show Heather the threat.

"It's a day ride on a dragon." Heather began to explain "So I'd guess a week by boat. Probably longer with your sailing skills."

"That's it. You pushed me far enough." Darien roared, walking over to her backpack.

Heather watched her dig through it. Ironically, the thought of not being able to talk was relieving; she didn't want to talk to Darien. She was so much like Dagur that it kind of set her nerves on edge. Her temper, her teasing when she was in control, even her laugh was sounding more like his every time she did.

Looking back up at the sky, she saw something that caught her breath. A black, silhouette, blocking the stars as it flew overhead. Losing track of it, she knew Hiccup was coming for her. Looking down, she saw Darien pull the duct tape out and begin to walk towards her; fumbling at trying to pull it open, she froze as she began to hear a distinct, yet eerie scream sounding off in the sky. Heather was the only one that knew what it was, it was Toothless diving at high speeds.

Dropping the tape, she pulled out her revolver a second time and ran back to her backpack. Pulling out a small object in her hand, she then grabbed her backpack and set it down next to Heather.

"You're not going to win…" Heather said calmly, looking at Darien "You can't win."

"I know I can't beat 'em." Darien shot back, looking around the black sky "But I'll make it where they won't win either."

Heather looked at her with concern. She had another trick up her sleeve, and Hiccup had no idea. Looking around the dark horizon with her, Heather tried to think of a way to warn him. Then, at the front of the ship, a lightning strike appeared, about a half mile away from them.

"What was that!?" Darien shouted, whirling around to try and catch the last of it.

"Have you not seen lightning before?" Heather asked, smirking at her. Seeing the lightning flooded her with relief. Matt had to be ok, which meant Astrid was as well.

"Shut up!" Darien shouted, being unnerved with the sudden change of events.

"That's Matt. And his Skrill, Wasatch." Heather continued to explain, seeing Darien begin to fall apart with the change of the situation. If she was like Dagur, she knew how to get into her head. "You know, Matt and Hiccup are pretty good at flying their dragons. Especially when they're angry about something. Don't even get me started about Astrid. Toothless, the Night Fury, is invisible in the dark; and never misses. Wasatch, he can hit a target up to a half mile away. With the accuracy of an arrow shot at about 20 yards."

"I said shut up!" Darien screamed, aiming the revolver at her "One more word, and I won't care what happens to me. I will put a bullet in your head!"

Heather stared at Darien, knowing she succeeded in not only distracting her, but completely getting inside of her head.

Out of nowhere, a large quill like blade flew out of the darkness, hitting the revolver out of Darien's hand and into the ocean.

"What the!?" she screamed, recoiling back from the surprise. Turning, she saw a large, silver dragon; looking like it was a massive razor blade, land on the side of the ship, causing it to lean over due to the weight.

"Waaaaagggh! Gah!"Darien shouted, falling on her side and rolling with the ship.

Heather, already sitting on the deck, braced herself with her legs as she felt herself slide down the angled ship. Looking up, she shouted "Windshear! You have no idea how happy I am to see you!"

"What? Not me?" Matt's voice called out, his head poking out from behind the dragon.

"Matt!?" Heather shouted "I thought you were on Wasatch!" Heather exclaimed, blown away at seeing Matt on her dragon.

"That's what I wanted you two to think. I'm guessing it worked!" Matt laughed, jumping off of Windshear. Flipping his knife open, he then began to cut the tape that pinned her arms, being more careful with her hurt shoulder.

"I should have known you would have done something like this!" Darien shouted, rolling onto her feet. Before she could do anything, Windshear used one of her front claws and pinned her down onto the deck, growling at her at the same time. "Get off of me!" She shouted, flailing her arms in an attempt to get away.

"Good girl!" Heather laughed, visibly relaxing at the turn of events.

"Heather? Are you alright?" Hiccup's voice shouted.

Turning, she could see both Hiccup and Astrid hovering above them. Smiling, she then said "Never been better…"

"There." Matt huffed, pulling the last of the tape off. Pulling Heather onto her feet, he then hugged her, saying "You have no idea what kind of thoughts I was having when you were taken away."

"It's over Matt. You guys saved me. Again." Heather smiled, returning the hug.

Hiccup coughed, bringing Matt back to the matter at hand. Blushing, he quickly let go of Heather and turned to Darien. Looking down at the angry red head, he then said "I bet Windshear would be more than willing to carry Darien back, don't you think?"

"Maybe a little more than that." Heather answered, glaring at Darien who was still trying to get out from under the dragon.

"Let me take her." Astrid called out "I'm wanting a little payback from earlier."

"Don't be so sure." Darien shouted, looking up at them. Turning to Matt and Heather, she then revealed what she pulled out of her backpack earlier. A small black, taped device.

"And? What's that?" Matt asked, unimpressed.

"A detonator." Darien growled, glaring up at Matt "I didn't bring just one bomb, I brought two. The other is in the backpack; right next to you two."

Freezing, Matt looked down at the backpack that lay feet from both him and Heather. Angry, he looked up at her and sarcastically said "You have a lot of bombs. Were you planning on blowing up Berk?"

"No, don't be silly Matt." Darien replied with a sly smile "This was the first bomb I made. I planned to use this one in the cave. Then a cute little engineering student gave me an idea for the timed bomb and helped me. So I took both!"

"What do you want then? It can't be Heather." Matt said, glaring at Darien.

Looking at Hiccup, she then said "I want a free pass. I'll let you have Heather, if you give me your word not to come after me for two weeks. That's the only thing I'll agree too."

Hiccup stared at Darien, not wanting to let her go after what she did; but he knew he had no choice. Matt and Heather wouldn't survive an explosion that close to them. Reluctantly, he nodded his head and said "Deal. Let them go, and we'll let you continue to sail."

Nodding, Darien then demanded "Get your dragon off of me. Now!"

"Come on Windshear, let's go…" Heather whispered, having Windshear let Darien go.

Darien promptly stood up, still gripping the detonator. "Get going" She growled "The sooner, the better."

Matt, with lightning quick reflexes, reached out and grabbed her arm, staring at her.

"Careful Matt. I have the power to end you…" Darien warned, glaring back at him.

"You blew up the cave, and I can't go back home." Matt warned, his blood running with ice in his veins "Just know this Darien, I will hunt you down with every single minute I have here, just to make sure I end your life."

"That's cute Matt." Darien said, smiling at the threat "But we both know you have the hots for me."

"That burned up when you kidnapped Heather and left Astrid and me to die." Matt growled "Remember this Darien, I've killed before. I won't hesitate when I'm holding my knife to your throat." Letting go, he then walked behind Heather who just climbed on Windshear. "I'm ready." Matt said quietly, sitting down behind Heather. At that, Windshear launched into the air, letting the boat rock back and forth as the weight evened out.

Darien stumbled for a moment, trying to balance herself with the boat. Watching the dragons disappear, she just smiled at them as she pressed the button on the detonator. Nothing happened. "Psych" she whispered, staring at the fake detonator. In actuality, it was a pencil with a red eraser. Shaking her head at their direction, she then whispered "I can't wait for our next date Matt. I hope you bring the hot chocolate next time."


	21. Chapter 21

**Here you go! The final chapter! I hope it was a good ending, I've been a little doubtful about it. Anyways, just a request from me, I was wondering if any of you could post what you thought was strong in the story, and that which was weak. This'll help me write my future stories better. Thanks much, and enjoy!**

 _ **Chapter Twenty One: All ends are beginnings**_

"That's how she knew figured out I was related to Hiccup?" Matt asked, looking up at the blue sky.

"Yeah, she said she knew you were Haddock, probably because of your name; but when she saw your tattoo, that just gave her enough reason to search your room." Heather explained, watching him to see his reaction.

Nodding slightly, Matt just dropped his head into this hands. It's been three days since the Darien incident, and Heather's just barely been rested enough to where she was walking, running, and visiting with others. Her shoulder was still injured, but she was able to take it out of the sling; against doctors' orders though. Since she's been able to visit, she wanted to talk to Matt alone, which she was finally able to when Hiccup and Astrid ran interference for them when then flew to the cove. Now, sitting on a large boulder, watching the dragons sleep in the sun, trying to soak in the warm rays; Heather began to explain all that Darien told her.

"Are you alright Matt?" Heather asked, looking at him with concern.

"I'm fine. Just…thinking…" Matt whispered, not looking up at her.

Slowly, as if unsure, she gently rested her hand on his back, trying to comfort him. "Matt, it's not your fault…You had no idea she was Dagur's relative; the fact that she knew that your tattoo was a Skrill head is something no one could have expected."

"It's not that Heather." Matt explained, sitting up from his hunched over position "It's the fact that I didn't come here prepared like Darien was. The fact that I basically came straight here, doing exactly what she wanted, and walking right into her trap at the cave." Matt then swore under his breath, looking away from Heather "Not to mention I let her blow up the cave! I can't even get home now!"

Heather looked at him with a sadness on her face. It wasn't fair to him. None of this was; especially with what she was going to say next. Closing her eyes, she looked down at the ground and whispered "There's another reason why I wanted to talk to you alone Matt. Not just to tell you what Darien told me."

Turning towards her, Matt then quietly said "Not until I finish what I need to say."

Heather turned to him, curious as to what he was going to say.

Sighing, Matt began with "First off, I'm not angry with you with what's happened to me. I'm just venting my frustrations."

"I never thought you were taking it out on me." Heather answered, forcing a small smile "I understand what it feels like to, well, not be able to go home."

"That's what I wanted to say too." Matt cut in "Heather, I want to stay as your friend. I do." Looking at her in the eyes, he added "And if we both feel good about it, maybe we can take it a step farther; like what we did that night three days ago."

Heather's heart felt like a knife was turned in it. She wished she said what she wanted to first. Her eyes misting up, she then quietly said "Matt…I feel the same way too. I do. But I've been thinking while I've been recovering."

Matt looked at her with concern, not liking where this was heading.

"Dagur won't stop coming after me. Darien too. When they meet up, they'll go after those that are closest to me." She continued. Looking at Matt, she whispered "They'll go for Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, the twins." Pausing for second, she then choked out "You."

"And?" Matt quickly shot back "What's your point? We're stronger together! If this is you telling me good-bye, forget it! I'm leaving with you if you try! I'll make Wasatch shock Windshear again if I have to!"

"Matt, listen!" Heather replied, shaking her head "That's why I wanted to talk to you first. I want to go, find where Dagur's holing up, let him know I'm alone, and then avoid him like the plague. Just to keep you guys out of danger. I have multiple hideouts across tons of islands, so I have places to stay."

"That's the stupidest plan I've heard!" Matt protested "Heather, he'll still be hunting us! Not just you!"

"Which is why I need to be on the run!" Heather argued "Matt, we've been captured how many times when we were together? Please, tell me of one moment when one of us wasn't dying, injured, captured, tied up, or knocked out? Name one time!"

Matt stared at her, casting back on the moment when he first found Hiccup and Astrid; and then that moment forward. He didn't want to admit it, but Heather had a point. "I get what you're saying." Matt began to say "But what I don't get is that you've been offered a home here and now you're walking away from it. Is that all you've done? Walk away from those that care about you?"

"No!" Heather shouted "I don't want to leave! But when Dagur knows that I'm alone, it'll split his attention! He won't be able to focus on two groups. Besides Matt, I can avoid him just fine. I've done it before I tried attacking him."

"Heather…" Matt whispered, still not believing what he was hearing "What about me? Didn't we both say we cared for each other?"

"Which is why I need to do this." Heather replied, looking at him sorrowful eyes "When Dagur and Darien are no longer a threat, I'll come back. I promise."

Matt didn't say anything, he just stared at her with tears forming in his eyes. Quickly wiping them away, Matt then turned away from her.

Grabbing his hand, Heather then said "The reason I wanted to tell you first, is that I know you'll support me. Don't you trust me?"

Matt quickly turned to Heather. Seeing the pleading in her eyes, Matt quietly said "I trust you Heather. I always will. But don't think for one second that I like this is idea; that you need to be alone again."

"I know." Heather replied "But I know that I will always have you to turn back to. You, Hiccup, and Astrid. Plus the others."

"Just promise me one thing Heather." Matt said, squeezing Heather's hand tightly. At that, he scooted closer to her, pulling her in a hug.

"What's that Matt?" She asked, letting him hold her.

"If you ever need help, or have a problem; I want you to come back. Even if it's something you think you can handle, I want you to come get us. Do you promise me that?"

Looking at Matt, Heather smiled reassuringly and said "I promise Matt. I will if I ever need help."

Smiling, Matt closed his eyes and leaned against her "When do you want to leave?"

"After this actually…" Heather replied, also leaning against him "I'll be leaving after this…"

"Not going to tell Hiccup and Astrid good-bye?" Matt asked in surprise, looking down at her.

"No. It'd be too hard to explain why." Heather answered "I know they'll trust me if you tell them what I'm doing."

Not saying anything, Matt then looked at the dragons, still sleeping in the snow. "Heather…" He said softly, not looking at her.

"Yes?" She answered, looking at him compassionately.

"I want you to have this…" Matt said, opening up his snowboard pants pocket. Pulling out his knife, he extended it to her. "This thing has earned its worth in gold. And, until you make yourself a new axe, you're going to need a weapon."

"Matt, what about you?" Heather asked, looking up at him.

"I still have my survival hatchet, which Astrid's been teaching me how to throw." Matt explained with a small smile "Besides that, Hiccup said he'd make me a new one. One that flips open as well." Then, rather forcefully, he shoved it into her chest, forcing her to grab it. "This isn't a request, it's an order."

"Matt…" Heather whispered, looking down at the knife. Smiling, she then said "Thanks. I'll make sure to put it to good use. I promise."

"You better. I won't be around to save you." Matt replied with smile.

Rolling her eyes, Heather then said "Uh-huh, at least I won't have to worry about you getting injured. I mean, I had to worry about me, Windshear, and you!"

Laughing, Matt then stood up from his seat, with Heather following. "How far is it to the camp that you're thinking of?"

"A whole day plus some hours." Heather explained "Near Dagur's old fort that you razed. I need to show him I'm alone and then I plan on flying a whole other day to another camp. Stay there a few weeks and go from there."

"Seems you've done more than just think about it." Matt observed, frowning as he watched her walk towards Windshear.

"I always make a plan." Heather replied "Even when I can't do anything."

"Will your arm hold out ok?" He asked, watching her wake Windshear up. Wasatch also woke up, to which he shook the snow off and looked at Heather curiously.

"I'll be fine. I'll rest it in a sling while I'm flying. Let it heal a little faster." She said, brushing the snow off her saddle. Feeling bumped in the back, she turned to see Wasatch looking at her. "I'll miss you Wasatch." Heather said with a smile, rubbing the Skrill's chin. Smiling, she then turned to Matt, and said a lot quieter "Thank you Matt. For…for everything."

Smiling, Matt shook his head and replied with "No Heather, thank you. Take care will ya?"

"I will Matt. You be safe." She said, getting ready to climb on Windshear. Pausing for a second, she looked over at Windshear who was smiling at her. Looking down, she then turned around and ran at Matt.

Caught off guard, Matt caught her as she threw her arms around him. Looking at him in the eyes, she then leaned forward and kissed him. "That's the Snoggletog kiss I never gave you."

Blown away at the action, Matt just stared at her as she turned and leapt onto Windshear. Smiling, she then threw up her hood and cloth mask, to protect her from the cold wind. Launching into the air, she quickly turned Windshear towards a North West direction, disappearing behind the snow covered trees.

Wasatch slowly walked up to Matt, who kept on staring at in the direction she disappeared. Looking at him with concern, he lightly bumped into his chest and shocked him.

"Errgghhh!" Matt groaned, feeling his energy drain from being shocked. Smiling broader now, he began to scratch Wasatch's head. "I guess we'll have to tell the others about the bad news ourselves huh?"

Wasatch growled, smiling at his rider. Motioning for Matt to get on, Wasatch turned his side to him so he could step on easier.

"Thanks bud…" Matt smiled, stepping onto the bindings. Strapping them down, he then said "Feels good to actually dragon board again. Been awhile huh boy?"

Wasatch roared, anxious to get going.

"Alright Wasatch, give me all you got!" Matt shouted, looking up at the sky. Feeling himself rocketed forward, he banked Wasatch to the left, the opposite way that Heather flew in. Thinking about the past two weeks, Matt then nodded to himself. Sure, he couldn't go home now, but at least he was going to be able to be with Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid, Stormfly and everyone else! Even Wasatch, being his biggest joy.

Smiling, Matt knelt down and patted his dragon. "Thanks boy. Thanks for being there for me…"

* * *

"And you just let her fly away!? Not asking where she was going!?" Astrid shouted, glaring at Matt with a fire in her eyes.

"She promised to come find us if she stepped in something bigger than her." Matt explained, looking at Astrid "Trust me Astrid, I didn't want her to go, but she was already planning on doing it. The best thing I could have done was tell her that I support her! Make her want to come back!"

Astrid just shouted wildly, stomping off to where Stormfly stood. Everyone was in the arena, getting ready to head back to Dragon's Edge when Matt showed up and told everyone what happened. Astrid and Snotlout were the ones that reacted the worse.

Hiccup then walked up to Matt, resting his hand on his shoulder. "Do you believe her?" He asked, looking at him with concern.

"I do." Matt answered "I really do."

"That's good enough for me. I know we'll run into her again soon." Hiccup said with a smile "I just hope she'll be safe."

"She will be. She said she's done it before." Matt affirmed. Looking at Astrid, who was still having a hard time calming down, he then added "She said she'd come back as soon as Dagur and Dairen were no longer a threat."

"So, until we get them in prison." Fishlegs said, stroking his chin at the thought.

"Exactly. Or, what I'd personally like to do to Darien." Matt said, his voice turning cold as he thought of Darien.

"Easy Matt, we all want to get even with them." Hiccup quickly said, trying to calm his thoughts.

Closing his eyes, Matt then took a deep breath and asked "So, when are you guys leaving to Dragon's Edge?"

"Today." Hiccup replied "We'll get there later tonight, but we want to leave today."

Nodding, Matt then looked at Hiccup sheepishly and asked "Would you mind if I came? I mean, I can sleep in the club house. Or even with Wasatch in the hanger!"

Astrid then walked up to him, grabbing his arm with her left hand and then simultaneously began punching him in the shoulder with her other. Then, again. Then a third time; and finally a fourth punch.

"Gagh! What the hell, Astrid!?" Matt shouted, recoiling in pain. Staring at her he cried out "What was that for?"

"Getting even from the smart comments you made about me." Astrid smirked at him "And for thinking we were going to leave you here."

"So…that's a yes to me sleeping in the hanger?" Matt asked, looking at Hiccup with a pain filled expression; all the while he was rubbing his shoulder, which was numb due to the hits. "There's better ways to convey that message you know…"

"Not in the hanger!" Hiccup laughed, opening his notebook. Flipping it to a page, he then showed Matt a drawing. "This is your room! We'll build it next to Astrid's since she's on the end. It's next to a hill side so you can snowboard from your room to the arena below, and a zip line to the clubhouse!"

Matt gaped at Hiccup, surprised at the blueprints of the room Hiccup wanted to build "You're serious!?"

"Of course we're serious! We wouldn't be talking about it if we weren't!" Astrid yelled, rolling her eyes at him. Throwing her arm around him she then said "I mean, think about it. We'll be neighbors! I can literally pound you whenever I feel like it!"

"Any chance of making my door out iron. With like, 17 different locks?" Matt asked, looking at Hiccup with a worried look.

Shaking his head, Hiccup teased Matt by saying "She'd just go through the wall."

"Great." Matt groaned, shaking his head. Smiling, he then added "I'd love to come with you guys. Who knows, maybe I can help discover a new dragon!"

Laughing, Hiccup then said "Trust us Matt, we want you to come. This is your home until you can get back to where you came from."

Smiling with a hurt expression, the thought of not being able to go home wracked his heart with grief. The thought of not being able to see his dad again gave him anxiety. Swallowing the hurt, he knew Hiccup and the others were trying to help him, and this is what they thought of. "Thanks Hiccup. I really appreciate it." Looking at everyone, he then said "I'm ready to go when you are."

* * *

 **Thank you for the support during this story! I hope you enjoyed it. Special thanks to:  
dreaming-about-dragons  
TheWhisperingWarrior  
For their support, ideas, and help they've given me via pm and reviews. They've seriously helped me become better in my stories.**

 **I do plan on writing a sequel, which will be more of a continuation (obviously). It won't be until after the new episodes air on Netflix, which is Dec 16th. Until then, keep writing!**


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